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| Back in the day, Don Jazzy, D'Prince and JJC |
JJC/Skillz needs no introduction. He is a producer, rapper, DJ, song writer, a founding member of the popular UK group, Big Brovaz, founder of JJC and the 419 Squad, and president of Backbone record, which was once home to D'Banj and Don Jazzy. Skillz tells a City People reporter how he was betrayed by D'Banj and Don Jazzy
It’s just life. Some people forget how everything started and some people remember, I would say that I was really the person that built the foundation for everybody to become what they are today and I would expect that they would remember and pay me that regard but they don’t.
The experience with Don Jazzy, D’Banj and other ex 419 Squad members was heartbreaking, because it was personal and it became something that affected me emotionally, hence the reason I left music for four years and nobody saw or heard from me. I didn’t record or do anything musically. I slowed myself down.
Don Jazzy was a keyboard player and Mr. Solek and Kas brought him to me and said that he really liked my music. At that time I was already JJC and I had songs like kilonsele on air play already and had won a couple of awards, I was strong in the game. I trained Don Jazzy on how to become a producer and he lived in my house for about a year and I showed him how to produce, trained him on how to perform and put things together.
And D’Banj , from the branding to how to act like Fela, I did it for him. His song, mobolowon won, was written by me, Raggaremi and MP. Even All The Way was written in Lagos here. I was very instrumental in packaging Don Jazzy and D’banj.
I was supposed to release D’Banj’s first album on my label, Backbone Music, but by the time we all came back to Nigeria in 2004, everyone started going their own ways when it was time to sign the 50/50 contract. They all decided not to sign. If I give you a contract and you refuse to sign, there is little or nothing I can do about it.
Do I feel betrayed by them? I don’t believe in regrets, because I believe every single thing in life make you who you are. The experience has made me a better business man. Now before I start anything with any artiste, they sign a contract or an agreement, so that we don’t have any issues in future.
hissssssssss!!! wat's dis rubbish...
ReplyDeletena wa o. such is life. glad you've learnt your lesson though
ReplyDeleteMscheww JJC is just looking for attention sha! if naija nor work, u bera pack ur load come back jand..this one wey u dey go uproot photos no make sense at all.. if nigerians dont connect, they dont connect..u bera step up ur game!digging photos wont help ur ass!I love don jazzy !!! He is such a people person :)and IDJA, ur dad is hot!!! whats his 411?
ReplyDeleteOnce you're successful, there are bound to be people that will sha want to say they 'made' you who you are even if their only contribution to your success is to have said 'Hi' to you on the on the streets...
ReplyDeleteBe careful who you go to for help especially in business and career...
50/50 contract?? really? that is a little much doesn't he think?
ReplyDelete----He is saying all these now because Don and Db are successful.If they were a failure I am sure his story will be different. The boys should pay him whatever they think his time and mentorship was worth and Move on.
abeg abeg abeg lets hear word. someone gets famous and then all sorts of people start to crawl out of the woodwork seeking acknowledgement. boo
ReplyDeletejjc,i like and respect u a lot.but abeg dont start on these guys pls.u know why?cos pple will say u are pained and enviuous of them because they are successful artistes than u.pple will ask,'so what if don baba lived in ur hse for a yr?and more pple will ask,'if they had signed the contract on bacbone records,would they have been more successful than what they are now?
ReplyDeleteso jjc we are all africans o,so forget d past and continue to be good.love u.
don jazzy bu onye ibgo..igbo man no dey carry last
ReplyDeleteI like that dude! But wit Jesus u are sure bet of the 'numero uno'! Brigada!!
DeleteLol. With a name like "419" what does he expect?
ReplyDeleteAs for business, such is life...
boo hooo cry me river niger, he should shut his mouth.when music has exploded in nigeria is wen he wants to come and start riding on the tailcoat of others, that his song "we are africans" epic fail he shld go bak to london and live in past glory ode
ReplyDeleteyes i always knew dbanj is not talented at all,he cant sing can u imagine such betrayal,he is not a musician at all, he cant sing nd itz annoyn d way pple carry him if not for donjazzy being a good producer,wande coal,sid nd prince can all sing better dan dbanj
ReplyDeleteThat's showbiz life for you Skillz. Lots of peeps were betrayed and made up again. The Jackson's / Mo-Town (Berry Gordon) had their own issues too but years later they made up. It's like that. Everybody knows you are maad talented like that, and that is why you are still relevant in the game today. Keep your head up bro and keep making good music
ReplyDeletemy brother when you are good you are good. Don J or Dbanj can't take you away from you.. so if you got it, you got it, if you dont you just don't... so, lets see you do it.. this interview was absolutely un neccessary.. prove yourself..
ReplyDeletemschewwwwwwwwwww...when they are superstars people start to identify
ReplyDeleteHis point???
ReplyDeletestoryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
ReplyDeleteStory......
ReplyDelete*yimu*
ReplyDeleteo boy go siddon and like my nephew would say, "relapse your body". What are you on about? so after you have trained some1 and they have done well for themselves, the next thing for you is to go to the most unreliable soft sell mag in Nigeria and claim right to talent. Stop it o. Berra up your game and get back to being the pro we thought you were. Stop chewing the bitter pill, it makes you sound pathetic.
ReplyDeleteabeg he shud go and sit down. he shud have stayed in london and burn in the riot. betrayed my ass! now u wan chop money from the people wey u dey run from.na lie. but he's a great talent though but no way for u my dear even though i used to be ur fan.
ReplyDeletesuch is life right, rather than talking come out with a major hit and then people will see your success:)
ReplyDeleteI live here in London and i know this scum called jjc very well, he has no talent. Calling Nigerians 419ners. LIVE WITH IT FOOL!!
ReplyDeletePS listen to this trash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1RZWFaOlfE
Oh! boy, the one of the key ingredients of a man who would be successful is he who takes responsibility for his falls ... guy, ur time elapsed, its their season to shine and I hope in some years to come Don Jazzy will not start rapping loosely like you do now about his own artiste ... advice - grab a towel, mop ur eyes dry, drink a glass of water, relax and try to think of the next idea that might just push you out there again ... wosh!This guy don make me write pass the original fifteen words I proposed to, shuo!
ReplyDeleteSo? He isn't the first to get double crossed that is if he was......and won't be the last. By the way, what the heck is he doing here? I thought he thought being in the Uk was way being better for him as an artist?
ReplyDelete*ajalahtravel* So? He isn't the first to get double crossed that is if he was......and won't be the last. By the way, what the heck is he doing here? I thought he thought being in the Uk was way being better for him as an artist?
*ajalahtravel*
what is he trying to say? who is he trying to ring down here....Dbanj tibolowowon...
ReplyDeletewww.sportdivang.blogspot.com
pls who is jjc, who is don jazzy n who the heavens is d'banj? linda biko, i waited all day for 2day's blog, pls give me berra gist jare.
ReplyDeleteWhatever...But i think it is not right to form familiarity with 'em at this stage....If what you say is truly right, you'll get your reward in another way so stop making a fool of yourself after being cheated....
ReplyDeleteFor ignorant ppl who dont know what jjc is all about i will suggest you google him before spewing trash with your mouth,as far as uk is concerned he is one of the top black producers and also produced a top uk act big brothaz who sold millions and won awards
ReplyDeletethe guy was just putting the records straight and not asking your gods d banj and don jazzy for money so dont get your knickers in a twist
Eiyaaaa. I get his point tho. Cos I cn remember wen dbanj used to play d harmonica in jjc'§ songs bk then. A lil homage is usualy nt bad. Buh I ll advic jjc nt to start all dis. So not necessaryEiyaaaa. I get his point tho. Cos I cn remember wen dbanj used to play d harmonica in jjc'§ songs bk then. A lil homage is usualy nt bad. Buh I ll advic jjc nt to start all dis. So not necessary
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a painful experience and people should stop disregarding his feelings.They all struggled together and they jaboed him.
ReplyDeleteur a fool....ma guy pack far...u just looking for attention
ReplyDeleteLick ur wounds n move on!I bet if they were not successful,JJC won't be saying this.Mtschewwwwwwww!
ReplyDeleteno be today but it av teyed ! Pakam.
ReplyDeleteAabeg sharraaap,,,,,,,ur mouth dey gv diarrhoea...........go sleep..........make we pity you aabi??,,,you need fan aabi?,,u don mis road...Aabeg sharraaap,,,,,,,ur mouth dey gv diarrhoea...........go sleep..........make we pity you aabi??,,,you need fan aabi?,,u don mis road...
ReplyDeleteSo now that he has told us this story what does he want us to do???? Why is it now that they are signed to g.o.o.d music that he suddenly remembers he trained Jazzy and Dbanj??? He should fall back and focus on getting better.
ReplyDeleteI like the way he is using I...I was affected, I stopped music for four years etc....
ReplyDeleteThe solution to his problem is the same I,
I needs to start doing what he wants e.g I am living large in swag from the grace of the Lord.
only you(I) can stop yourself. gbabe
Thats life when u are successful people try to associate with while some try to rubbish u.
ReplyDeleteDlapikin: "His point???"
ReplyDeleteCracked me up big time!
Mumu ni bobo jjc yi sha,so what's the point he brought out from this *long hiss*no matter what he says i still LOVE my DONN JAZZY any day LOSER IRANU,he wants to attach by force
ReplyDeletewhatever!
ReplyDeleteSo you trained them, does it mean that they become your slave for life? In Ibo land when a trader takes a boy as an apprentice, he teaches him the skills of the trade and guess what? when the apprentice serves his time the trader sends him off with some money to start his own trade.
ReplyDeleteSo you JJS should actually bless them and be proud that your teachings have bourne fruit.
Abeg park well jare....if u were instrumental to dere success nko, if u didnt help , someone else would av helped. pls save us d story abeg
ReplyDeletestories dat touch....abeggiii
ReplyDeleteSo kini eyen ko wa dats rubbish go get urself 2gether nd plan 4 ur future mSo kini eyen ko wa dats rubbish go get urself 2gether nd plan 4 ur future mtschewwwwwwwww. Abeg Ee
ReplyDeletebro
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is his motive for telling this story now?are expected to accost them on the road and force them to pay you royalty?
ReplyDeleteif don jazzy and dbanj start settling everyone that had a hand in their rise, they will be broke.
just focus on your own hustle and pray you make it.
we all have been unappreciated in life.it is nothing new.
jjc i hope u know the meaning of what u av caused urself,an interview will be granted to don baba and d'banj and they will deny u with anther knid of story and u will fell embarraced,so if u feel u brought some1 up,just keep it to urself and continue to do ur stuff.
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to email JJC personally. He should learn from the statement that UK based John Adeleye made against a member of JLS band; that he thought the guy how to sing.
ReplyDeleteJJC should have kept mute. It is true say dem no send am to help dem at all. D'banj was born a star. 'Abi ni bi' is different from training. He has the swagger and was able to do something different in Nigeria.
In the UK, D'banj could not make it as a singer and Don Jazzy was nowhere to be found. Today, all dat na story. Let us accept our fate and move on in life.
D'banj is a university drop-out yet he made it as a star. Na book una wan chop?
kai!!! jjc, d'banj is now kickin it wit jay-z, better back off or d nxt thing u'll hear is "o u made banj? make anoda banj"...lol.... we dnt want no beef now do we? gt bck 2 ur studio n work harder
ReplyDeletestory jo...dint even bother reading dis. d story is played out. ppl wanting to take credit for what they did not build. make u go do am again na if na so e easy
ReplyDeleteJJC missed the boat..one of the good things about being a good business man is the ability to follow your gut instincts and have a feel for what's hot or what's about to get hot..the moment Dbanj dropped di koko..he should have packed his bag and moved to 9ja..no delay..
ReplyDeleteInstead he slept on it..and years later woke up..
Not a good way of re-introducing yourself back into 9ja music scene..considering Dbaanj and Don Jazzy are much adored not just within 9ja but resonate with Africans in Africa and the Diaspora.where he incidentally lived..
Look @Kaz..going about his business..just making music..inseatd of making silly comments that make u sound bitter!!.Good luck with the new album probs ur best and more in tune with 9ja..
have once been in your shoe but in life learn one thing YOU DONT BUILD SOME ONE, all things are been done by GOD not you
ReplyDeleteRuggedman also make a statement like this to 9ICE. just let it GO
They have money and you got too
1MUSIC NETWORK is good business.
for this statement you made you prove you are FULL OF PRIDE. dont tell anybody you MAKE SOME ONE become what they BECAME
hmmmm....its true cos i know dbanj back then. Jjc keep doing your good work, may Almighty Allah Bless u Abundantly. Nigeria Music Industry are full of Ingrate pple.hmmmm....its true cos i know dbanj back then. Jjc keep doing your good work, may Almighty Allah Bless u Abundantly. Nigeria Music Industry are full of Ingrate pple.
ReplyDeleteI dey feel jjc's pain..unfortuanately many ppl here doesnt understand ow music work.....imagin yu in his shoes....ivestin in a guy...puttin up tins for him wen he doesnt av the resources den suddenly wen yu guys were suppose 2b earnin the big bucks...make em run..yu no go like am na...but they(jazzy n dbanj) also took a risk which luckily for them paids off after all skills didnt help him wit the hits but ur person go always be ur person......at all at all...well make em accept am as one of dos tins...after all em own commitment no reach cabasa's commitment to 9ice but today nw ...9ice is on his grind while cabasa has moved on to do more bigger tins...so this is planet earth where #shit happens!
ReplyDeletePeople - forget Don Jazzy and D’Banj – they know what they did and they will definitely get theirs. Nothing last forever and only the talented will survive! None of these guys have anything on JJC… He’s talented and still on top.
ReplyDeleteHaven’t you ever wondered why D'Banj sticks to Don Jazzy like fly to shit? It’s because he knows he's nothing without him... at least Ikechukwu saw the light and karate chopped Don jazzy's ass to smithereens!!!! Ha ha ha, I'm still LMAO!!!
I personally would like to read the WHOLE article in all its glory instead of a few choice snippets so that I can get the whole context of the gist.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that the last comment about D'Banj and Don Jazzy is true. D'Banj is nothing without Don Jazzy and he knows it. He CANNOT make it without Don Jazzy.
Also I heard that it was D'banj that got karate chopped by Ikechukwu and not don jazzy.
Meanwhile JJC, don't sweat it. These things happen and you should move on but I'm loving your we're africans joint. All the different flavours. Please come and do a Congolese mix man. Throw in some makosa so we can bring the coupe de calais. You feel me....
The guy that invented facebook also betrayed some people.
ReplyDeleteI think Dbanjs and Don Jazzys success is DESTINY.
If JJC was meant to be a star, he would be a super star right now.
Yall will be alright.
Anon 1:47
ReplyDeleteI just saw Ikechukwu with Dbanj and co in Liquid this past weekend.
He didnt chop nattin.
I know for a fact that Ikechukwu practised some blackbelt moves on that dumbass....they might have made up now because that is what grown men do but Ikechukwu had to defend his babe from so called friends claiming that they had slept with her. So nigga got chopped! Fact!!!
ReplyDeletefirst of all if this is true... then i aint even gone lie that was foul. how you gonna do a bro like that? wrong! and the rest of yall shouldnt even talk cuz yall no damn well that if that was u and you trained somebody and they betray you u wouldn't find it funny. at all.
ReplyDeletewow, this is really ironic. i remember when JJC came back to Nigeria in 2003 and again in 2004 with D'Banj and Don Jazzy, he had a team of brothers who worked their asses of for them, promoted them till they won the KORA in 2004. i see the brothers once in a while, they have been struggling to get back on their feet after spending all they had to promote JJC and 419 squad, D'Banj and Kween. my question to JJC is, Did u not betray them? They opened doors for u and after u gained the fame u stepped on them and moved on. so don't cry cos it happened to u, what goes around come4 around. Otu.
ReplyDeleteJJC has a point, is not just funny sha, God with u bro, Am not surprised cos human can being anything at anytime, remember human being like us betray jesus
ReplyDelete