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A resurfaced 2023 interview has brought renewed attention to Don Jazzy’s comments about his Mo’Hits years.
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The music executive said he earned nothing from the Mo’Hits era and received no royalties from its catalogue.
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He said he relinquished his rights to the label and handed everything to former partner D’Banj before starting over.
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Don Jazzy later built Mavin Records, which grew into one of Africa’s leading music companies.
August 26, (THEWILL) — A resurfaced video of Don Jazzy discussing his Mo’Hits years has sparked renewed interest in how the music executive walked away from one of Nigeria’s biggest record labels.
In the 2023 interview with the Zero Conditions Podcast, Don Jazzy was asked which songs from the period before Mavin still earned him money. He explained that he did not make money from the Mo’Hits era and received no royalties from its catalogue.
“I didn’t make any money from Mo’Hits back then, talk less of getting royalties now,” he said
Don Jazzy explained that when Mo’Hits broke up in 2012, he chose to move on rather than hold on to the label. He said he publicly announced that he no longer had anything to do with Mo’Hits, created a new company and started again.
“I relinquished all the rights and gave everything to D’banj,” he said.
Mo’Hits Records was founded by Don Jazzy and D’banj and became one of the defining music labels of Nigeria’s 2000s era. The label was home to artists including Wande Coal, Dr SID and D’Prince and played a major role in shaping contemporary Nigerian pop music.
The partnership between Don Jazzy and D’banj eventually broke down amid differences over the direction of the business.
Their 2011 association with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music also highlighted their different ambitions, with D’banj pushing for a stronger move into the US market while Don Jazzy preferred to continue building from Nigeria.
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Mo’Hits was eventually dissolved in 2012, leaving Don Jazzy to rebuild from scratch. He launched Mavin Records that same year, initially working with artists including Tiwa Savage, Dr SID and D’Prince.
The new label faced its own challenges, including Wande Coal’s departure, but Don Jazzy continued to invest in young talent. Mavin later became home to a new generation of stars, including Rema and Ayra Starr, and developed a reputation for discovering and nurturing emerging artists.
Mavin’s growth eventually attracted major international investment. In 2019, the label secured a multimillion-dollar investment from Kupanda Holdings. Five years later, Universal Music Group acquired a majority stake in Mavin Global, while Don Jazzy remained at the helm.
What began with Don Jazzy walking away from Mo’Hits without the rights or royalties to its catalogue eventually became the foundation for a new chapter in his career. He rebuilt from scratch and turned Mavin into another major force in African music, showing how the end of one music empire became the beginning of another.
Evi-Ben Ezaga is an entertainment and society writer with a passion for stories that explore culture, people, and the stories shaping society today.
