Famous Nigerian DJ Oluwaforijimi Amu, popularly known as DJ Jimmy Jatt, has revealed why decent lyrics don’t enrich Nigerian musicians.
The 55-year-old DJ, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Lagos , said most musicians would instead make commercial music rather than songs with decent lyrics that wouldn’t sell.
He said: “The volume of songs coming out now is a lot, and it has to do with individuals, so whatever you want, you would find it in the music industry.”
“ If you are looking for songs with lyrics that talk about women, you will find many, but if you are looking for meaningful lyrics, there are a good number of them. So it now boils down to what you as a person wants or is looking for, because many people are looking for those songs with the lyrics not too meaningful lyrics.”
The pioneer of ‘Road Block Street carnival’ and legendary Nigerian disc jockey explained that the average Nigerian artiste’s priority is the commercial value of his song and not the lyrics.
He said: “When it comes to music-making, you have to look at the commerciality of the song. If an artist is trying to make music, he knows if he uses a simple, meaningful, and good lyric, people would respect him, but they might not buy the song.”
“But when the lyrics are the opposite, he is sure that everybody will buy it, but they will not respect him, and when he weighs between money and respect, which is more profitable for him, he goes for money.”
DeeJaying in Nigeria
The Lagos-born DJ told this newspaper that he had never envisaged becoming a DeeJay. Instead, he first ventured into the entertainment scene as a rapper by ‘Master J.’
Today, he is renowned as one of the pacesetters for hip-hop music in Nigeria.
Speaking about the appreciation of his profession in Nigeria, DJ Jimmy Jatt noted that the industry had experienced exponential growth in recent years.
“The DJ industry in Nigeria has grown fast, although probably not where it should be globally, there has been a lot of improvement in recent times.”
He also said that DJs have an irreplaceable role in the success of the booming music industry.
“Every event you go to, there must be a DJ. They play a huge role in the success of the music industry. Nigerians are getting to understand, fancy, and appreciate the role and place of DJs in entertainment.”
Legacy
Jimmy Jatt has dominated the entertainment scene for over two decades. He released his first album ‘The Definition Volume 1’ in 2007. The video for the lead single off the album, Stylee featuring Modenine, Elajoe (of the defunct The Thorobreds), and Tuface, earned him a Channel O Music Award nomination.
His sophomore album, The Industry Volume 1, is a 24-track album rated as the “biggest collaborative album in Africa”, released in 2014 with about 66 artists featured.
He also featured Davido in “Orekelewa” in 2016 and lots more.
Recently, he has featured the big names in the industry in some of his singles, like Grammy-winning Burna Boy, whom he featured alongside Buju in his 2020 hit song, “Worry me”.
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