Five producers giving Don Jazzy a run for his money

In the last few years, the Nigerian music
industry has consistently been churning
out hits and making waves
internationally, thanks not only to the
hardworking artistes who front these
songs but also the producers who work
behind the scenes to create the beats and
melodies that have got everybody moving.
Of the contemporary producers, Mavin
Records CEO, Don Jazzy s arguably the
most renowned especially thanks to his
past collaboration with the Kokomaster,
D’banj.
PREMIUM TIMES’ Michael Abimboye and
Sakpaide ‘Ogagus’ Ogaga (an A&R with
X3Music and music enthusiast) examine
five upcoming producers- Shizzi, D’tunes,
Young D, Del’B and Sarz who currently or
in the future would be giving Don Jazzy a
serious run for his money.
Shizzy
In his early twenties, Oluwaseyi ‘Shizzy’
Akerele, a graduate of Information
Technology from the University of South
Africa is one of the new beat makers who,
in a short time, has shown that he is in
the business to leave a mark.
The HKN Gang producer has worked
mostly with Davido and other HKN acts-
Shina Rambo, B-Red, Danagog and
DeeKay but has still managed to prove his
versatility and daring. He has also worked
with Wizkid and Bigiano.
Ogagus: Shizzi reminds me of Sarz –
Dami Duro, Gobe, One of a Kind,
Skelewu… They were all produced by
Shizzi. Do I need to say more?
D’Tunes
“D’tunes again o” is Adesanya ‘DTunes’
Doyinsola’s sign in tune on his
production. The Olabisi Onabanjo
University graduate began from the
church by learning how to play the drums
and keyboard and has since produced for
popular acts like 9ice, Faze, Ruggedman,
Dipp, Silver Saddih, Lord of Ajasa, Iceberg
Slim, Rico White, Shank, Hakym D Dream,
Rasheed etc.
D’tunes became a household name after
the success of the monster hit single,
Kukere which saw the sharp rise of former
MTN Project fame winner, Iyanya, from
upcoming singer to established star.
D’Tunes later cemented his place in the
hearts of music lovers as a hit maker with
more work on other Iyanya hits such as
Your Waist, Flavour and Sexy Mama. He
also produced Sean Tizzle’s Sho lee. He
currently runs his own label, Difference
Entertainment.
D’tunes is certainly a producer who has
his eyes on the future and may just
become the next Don Jazzy ahead of his
peers.
Ogagus: In my opinion D’tunes is not a
risk taker. He does not experiment. He
plays by the rules of making a hit. The
beat might not blow you out of this
atmosphere but after listening to the song
a number of times, you finally come to
love it.
Young D
Born Akintewe Feyisayo, Young D, who
got his stage name based on is love for
American rapper-producer, Dr. Dre,
became popular after an impressive work
on dancehall/pop singer, Timaya’s latest
album, Upgrade.
His beautiful dance beat on Timaya’s
single, Ekoloma, proves he is no fluke.
He even has a fan in Don Jazzy who,
soon after the realease of Ekoloma
Demba, tweeted, “Timaya and Young D
are on some different kind of fire mehnn;
heavy jamz of life.”
The Computer Science graduate of the
Lagos City Polytechnic who runs his
MurderBeatz Vibez imprint is said to be
working on his debut single. Young D may
not be popular yet but his works certainly
speak for him in the meanwhile.
Ogagus: Young D has to be the most rigid
producer excelling at his trade. Although
he has undeniable chemistry with Timaya,
he is yet to replicate his magic with other
artistes except for Alaye Mi by LKT and E
Go Better For Every Man by Orishefemi.
Del’B
Del’B is probably the least famous on his
list but with one of the most impressive
resumes: Omotola’s entire sophomore
album; most of Harrisong’s Testify album,
Ade Bantu’s No Man Stands Alone;
Darey’s Rhythm and Beat album; Orezi’s
singles, I No Fit Lie and “High BP; Kcee’s
Now I Know, Carnival, Limpopo and
Okoso; Seyi Shay’s Loving Your Way and;
General Pype’s Give it to Me etc.
The one time audio engineer at MidiCorp
Studios and sound engineer at Paul Play
Dairo’s Playground Entertainment is
known for his versatility, producing for
different genres; jazz, rock, hip-hop/R&B,
Pop, highlife, fuji, juju etc.

Ogagus: Del’B’s productions allows the
artiste to actually use their pipes and
show-off their vocal abilities. It is not
always jam-packed or very up-tempo
compared to hit-making producers. Del
has his own unique style. If you play five
instrumental sounds for me, I am very
confident that I will point his out; the way
he uses the piano, kicks, strings and
more. However more recently his works
are getting monotonous, Kcee’s
Limpopoo and Okoso, Monica’s Suddenly
and even Seyi Shay’s Killing Me Softly all
sound alike. I wish he challenged himself
more.
Sarz
Even Donjazzy has acknowledged Sarz as
a super producer. With the success of Jah
Bless’s ‘Jor Oh’, Sarz became the go-to-
producer for hits. With over 50 tracks to
his credit, Osaretin ‘Sarz’ Osabuohien
who hails from Benin believes he is the
biggest producer in Africa.
Ogagus: Sarz is a beast! The best thing
about Sarz is unpredictability. He is far
from the box. He experiments like it’s no
man’s business. Sarz’s beats are mostly
driven by the quest to conquer the dance
floor and win the disc jockey over
completely. He can give an afro-beats
masterpiece like Reminisce’s Kako Bi
Chicken or Wizkid’s Jaiye Jaiye or do a
risky fusion like he did in ‘Beat of Life
(Samba)’. One thing Osarentin does not
joke with is his kicks and synths. I was
going through his Sound Cloud page and
listened to his remake of Phil Collins’
Another Day In Paradise and it had the
synth-pop feel to it. It sounds like
something you will need in a Danish club
in 2013. If you want an audacious hit, I
will say go and work with BeatbySarz.