DON JAZZY, COBHAMS AND OTHERS BATTLE IT OUT
I was having a very interesting and heated discussion… okay… fight with a few guys two nights ago about the music industry and the names that make it the place to be at the moment. The simple, shy wall clock read 10:30pm and the clean air disappeared under the thick cloud of tobacco smoke sipping out from the fading cigarette buds. The liquor was down to its last drop, sitting quietly still beside the four deformed cans of red bull; all victims of hyper active men whose attempt to force more content out of them than the manufacturer had initially put in proved futile. The air conditioner rattled in the corner from the indecision of the power company and somewhere between the awful and boring selection of songs being played by one of the local radio stations and the guys whose faces gradually grew red and whose necks bulged with different sizes of frustrated veins from all that shouting, I was amused.
Now the argument wasn’t just about the musicians or the musician-wanna bes, but about the boys who sit in the studio day in and day out cooking up that one killer beat or melody that will fetch them handsome awards, recognition and acclamations… I am talking about folks that make people like D’banj who can’t sing to save his life look good… fellas that make people like 9ice appear to be more interesting than he really is with unique sets of drum patterns and tones, men that make folks like Darey art Alade every woman’s dream of a romantic guy… that’s right, I speak of these brilliant, highly creative and obviously crazy producers. The topic…? Who had the right to be called ‘Naija’s no 1 Producer?’
Now everyone pitched their tents; some were all for the nutty professor and master mind behind Nigeria’s supposedly number one music family- MO HITS; Don Jazzy, others went for a calmer selection. I speak of the extraordinarily gifted and blind producer- Cobhams Asuquo. Others of course had to bring people’s mind to the simple, mild mannered Gongo Aso hit maker- ID Cabasa while the rest insisted that OJB Jezreel was still not too old to make the cut. I sat quietly under the weight to different shades of baritones and waited as each party yelled across its points… what? You think I would get involved arguing with grown drunk men? Naaaaaaaa… I am smarter than that y’all. I do however have my personal favourites but I am going to try and be objective here, basing this review on research and a number of public opinions.
DON JAZZY
No one could possibly be as crazy as Don Baba J. The guy is a slick naija boy by mentality and blood. Haba! No other producer can boast of studying and satisfying the people the way The Don himself does. That’s right! Don Jazzy is a people’s man. He studies the people and gives them exactly what they want and if they don’t know what they want, he will suggest it to you and he is NEVER wrong in that regard. Nigeria’s number one entertainer- D’banj and Naija’s very own human vocoder- Wande Coal are living and breathing proofs that he definitely knows his onions or … tomatoes… or crayfish… whatever! With 3 consecutive albums… okay make that 4 (Wande coal), Don Jazzy’s productions have shut down the nation and held clubs and events to ransom. Lets not even talk about the single productions he has done for the likes of Kween and the rest.
COBHAMS ASUQUO
It really is not nuclear physics to know that Cobhams Asuquo is indeed talented even though a number of people are coming round to the suggestion that he is a product of HYPE. Unlike Don Jazzy who makes killer beats thanks to the modern technology of easy and fast beat makers like Fruity loops and the likes, Cobhams possesses the traditional spirit of music. Born with the internal knowledge on the inside of him that he was born to school people about the real nature and dynamics of music, those who have worked with him and are close to him know that Cobhams is all about chords, progressions, live instruments and vocals unlike Don Jazzy who really just wants to make you dance so that he can bill the hell out of you whenever you invite he and his to your show or event. Cobhams who is extremely picky about those he works with is not completely in it for the money or the fame but for the love of it, which makes him one of a kind. However, I can’t help but wonder… which brings me to the ‘suggestive talk’ going around that; if Cobhams wasn’t visually impaired, would there be as much hype about him as there is today? Hey, I am not the bad guy. I am just trying to put things into perspective here. Think about it! If Cobhams was like you or me, would he be worth as much as he is today? Would the spotlight have singled him out or would he be lost somewhere in the mix of good producers in Nigeria? That’s a topic for another day but I will really love to hear your views; particularly on that. So email me at graye@goodlife.com.ng
Back to the story, like Don Jazzy, Cobhams can also boast of a lot of celebrated works. Asa comes to mind, Darey art Alade, Dekunle Fuji, Kween, Omawunmi, Lara George, Sunny Nneji, Rooftop Mcs… the list is endless and each song or album has been a classic.
ID CABASA
Now ID Cabasa recently got recognized after the Gongo Aso album hit Naija hard in 2008. I mean, it seems like no other album has been able to topple the once rejected crooner and unnoticed beats of the producer. Life just ain’t fair is it? How ever, unlike the two formerly mentioned producers, ID Cabasa is still yet to show his versatility in production. We have seen Cobhams do neo-soul, contemporary fuji, rock, R&B… we have seen ‘Don Jazzy again’ in pop, high life, akpala, R&B and the likes. Cabasa on the other hand… well… I am not really too sure what to call his kind of style. (Head Scratch). He is the kind of producer that does wonders in a familiar zone or type of music which is great and all but um… that will ultimately be a damper to his overall career… don’t you think?
OJB JEZREEL
OJB na the baba for the game. He was the first dude that made producers beat their chest and realize that they can make an honest living out of their beats. With hits that made Nigeria’s finest and proudest- TUFACE, OJB was seen to have the midas touch. He was the producer to have produce any track on any album at the time BUT… being very realistic and objective, the dude has not had another hit since Tu Baba. So… was it Tu that made his songs look good? No diss OJB… I am on your side here but you are up against some serious players and I need good answers.
So… we have Don Jazzy who does well with short term investments; by that I mean that he produces beats that just explodes but then dies down in a span of 6-8 months and then you have Cobhams, whose works takes time to sip into your system but when it does, becomes like a best friend that sticks with you for life… or something around that. Then you have Cabasa who is still a rookie and a rigid producer who hasn’t shown his flexibility yet and if not careful, will probably end up like our next Producer OJB Jezreel who had hits but is not a hit in himself like his counterparts.
I would really love to know your views about this because it will go a long way to helping us restructure the music industry and patronize and appreciate the real players unlike the waka-passes we have all up in here. So again… email me at graye@goodlife.com.ng with your questions, comments and views. Catch ya online. Till then… Toodles
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Dancing Kween by GHP
