P5 ‘HOW DON JAZZY BETRAYED ME’ – D’BANJ

How were you able to fund all that? In the last nine years, there are a few people and corporate bodies that God has helped me build relationships with, either individuals or banks, or even corporates that are involved in the growth of the industry. I’ve enjoyed their support, and even now that we’re going global, we’re pooling the funds together from all these places. Could you possibly be Nigeria’s richest pop star? A billionaire? Vanity upon vanity. Money is material. In terms of what we’re doing, you’ll call me a Trillionaire, because this vision is too big for only me. With the help of the industry, the government, people like you Ayeni, we will not only be billionaires, but trillionaires, and not just me, but every little kid that has same talent like Beyonce, or Nicki Minaj. And with the standard of the UMG worldwide, we can pass people out from our own Universal Music Group Africa, Universal Def Jam Africa, and everyone should jump on this ship with us. It’s not the Titanic. There’s been a lot of confusion – what label exactly are you signed on? My album comes out under my label/GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. I’m funding the D’banj album, in America, through GOOD Music/Island Def Jam. GOOD Music is Kanye West who is co- executive producing with me. The deal comprises of Island Def Jam, in US. But in UK, it is under Mercury . My first single will be released in Europe on May 14. My work will be released in Africa through Universal/Def Jam. We don’t have these structures in Africa, and they’ve seen how much money they’ve lost. They’ve seen what I’ve done with Mohits. I made my pitch to them; I’ve made them realize how much they were losing in the African region. Over 150m Nigerians, over 800m Africans. 2% of that is 8.5m. They were not making anything except from S.A, which has been the US of Africa. So we will be launching this label in Ghana, in partnership with Vodafone, launching in Nigeria in partnership with MTN. Def Jam Africa will be up soon; Kenya, SA, and North Africa will follow. Why are you risking all this? What if you burn your fingers and lose everything you’ve worked for? Lose out? Well, I am happy I even have something to risk. To whom much is given, much is expected. Look at Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jay Z, Kanye West, these people take it to the max, take it to where they believe that they can push it to. In the first instance, coming back to Nigeria with Jazzy was because I was a risk taker. And I wouldn’t say I’m throwing everything away. I would say I’m putting everything back in, in order to rip into the future. I get a broadcast from Tonye Cole everyday. He says when you tell people this your vision, know that it’s not for you alone – it’s for everyone. It’s like what Fela did. If what I’m doing doesn’t work, but sows that seed that will germinate in three, five years, it means my name will be written in gold. Some people have tried this before you, unsuccessfully. Do you have doubts and fears sometimes? My last album was in July 2008 – no album in four years and I know what I still command in those four years. The momentum for me to be able to do this is because I see how much it took me, I saw the benefit, it’s God, and the favour of the relationships we’ve built. Plus, I don’t take no for an answer, I don’t take negativity. It will work in Jesus’ name. If not, I wouldn’t have landed in the UK and hear Oliver Twist on the radio. Nor would I be in the mainstream media with them saying I’m pioneering afrobeats. I said to them ‘Oh hell no, that’s Fela’s music. Fela is the legend.’ So I pray to God – I beg my fans, it‘ll be good to do half a million downloads. It’s possible, it’s a different market. Platinum in UK is 300,000. I believe with the support of my people in Redding, Coventry, Dusting, Hackney, Thamesmead, Abbeywood, we can do it.’ And so, as I say my goodbyes and flag down the cab that’ll take me to Heathrow Airport, I can’t help thinking out loud: should one man sacrifice the wishes of the collective on the altar of ambition and material wealth? But then, what should be expected of the man whose dreams and ambition grow beyond those of other – possibly myopic- members of the collective: should an individual sacrifice his personal desires; derail his destiny, so to speak, in the interest of the collective? In all of this, faithfulness and loyalty have been brutally murdered. And the jury is still out on who pulled the trigger. In all of this, faithfulness and loyalty have been brutally murdered. And the jury is still out on who pulled the trigger. Culled from: t henetng.com