To be honest it can be to some extent difficult to figure out who exactly is the richest Nigerian musician as it demands a collection of facts and figures that may not be within reach. Since we all know that money matters are always confidential, these musicians may not openly discuss their combined earnings so we know who is the richest among them.
But thanks to Forbes who, after a clear analysis of earnings per show, promotional values, sales rate, social media presence and overall influence of popular African musicians, made it clear that Don Jazzy is the fourth richest African musician and the richest in Nigeria .
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DON JAZZY
Don Jazzy has made a name for himself in the Nigerian music industry. Born Michael Collins Ajereh on November 26, 1982, the Nigerian record producer, singer, songwriter and entrepreneur has emerged as one of the respected Africans who has dominated not only the African music industry but also the Nigerian music scene.
Don Jazzy’s remarkable expertise in what he does has set him apart and made him one of the top music producers in the country. He has made music with a number of artists at home and abroad.
Although he has been active in the industryrecently, his love for music has not yet started back then. Don Jazzy recognized his potential and his love for music from an early age. He started making music in church as a child before moving to the UK to pursue his career.
Whilst in the UK, Jazzy, who worked as a security guard, soon realized there was some money to be made from the bass. Soon a friend was taking him to play at restaurants and various venues.
At that time he would be making £150 or £200 playing for about five hours. The band has been known to make up to £500 per gig. He grew to the point that he was playing at a wedding for the President’s daughter at the time.
This got him into music production. Two years later, Don Jazzy and his then-partner D’banj decided to return to Nigeria to produce Afrobeats.
In 2004, the two founded Mo’ Hits Records. Over the next two years, Don Jazzy produced the albums No Long Thing and Rundown/Funk You Up . Around this time he also developed an introductory phrase, It’s Don Jazzy again!
Although Jazzy may not be a full-fledged singer, he is popular for performing background vocals for artists he produces. He did this vocal for D’Banj, Sauce Kid, Dr. SID, Ikechukwu, Kween, D’Prince and even Jay-Z made it.
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He was also the brains behind the vocal performance of Kanye West’s song Lift Off with Beyoncé on the Observe the Throne album. In 2011 he was employed by Kanye West as a producer on Very Good Beatz – an American record label he founded.
Aside from music, his estimated net worth also comes from his multiple endorsements running in the millions. He was an MTN brand ambassador and is currently a brand ambassador for Samsung Mobile. He also has a mega endorsement with Johnnie Walker running in millions of naira.
The music mogul is also an investor and co-founder of Flobyt – a company that provides free WiFi to users looking for entertainment content in Nigeria. If you are wondering how he makes money with a company labeled as free, you can count on Flobyt display ads on a regular basis and viewing such ads is your compensation for using the service.
The award-winning artist is also said to be a real estate specialist.
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His awards over the years include
- City People Entertainment Award (2015) – special award.
- Nigerian Entertainment Awards (2007) – Music Producer of the Year.
- Nigerian Music Awards (2006) – Producer of the Year.
- The Headies 2011 – Producer of the Year for Over The Moon, Mr. Endowed and Pop Something
- The Headies 2014 – Producer of the Year for Dorobucci.
Other Nigerian musicians to make the Forbes list of Africa’s Richest Musicians include Jidenna at No. 6, Wizkid at No. 7 and Davido at No. 8.