Korede Bello, Di’Ja, Reekado Banks Who is Don Jazzy’s worst investment of Mavin 2.0? Pulse Music uses the available metrics to judge who is Don Jazzy’s worst investment of the Mavin 2.0 era.

Mavin Records
(Obi Somto) 

One of Don Jazzy’s most glowing credential is his ability to breakthrough artistes at every turn.

From the excellent powerhouse of music that Mo’Hits Records was, to the neo-dynasty that he built from the ground up using his share of human resources from the fall of the previous house of music. Mavin Records which once lost Wande Coal, has Tiwa Savage, D’Prince, Dr Sid, Reekado Banks, Di’Ja, Korede Bello, Iyanya, Altims, and Babyfresh on their books.

  The Mavins: Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid, D'Prince, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Di'Ja (Press)

Don Jazzy’s venture into the familiar territory of signing artistes, and working with a team to make them successful has always yielded benefits. Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, and Di’Ja are a trio who are reaping them.

Signed in 2014, the trio signalled a new beginning into the Mavin Dynasty, after the departure of singer Wande Coal. In true reality, they weren’t replacements, but rather marked a new direction for the group which has continued to rule Nigerian music.

Over the weekend, a fan and critic hit out at Don Jazzy, sharing his opinion which stated the Korede Bello is the mogul’s worst investment. But in a rare twist of events, the don responded, sharing available metrics to counter that assertion. The conclusion is that Korede Bello has generated as much as N100 million profit for Don Jazzy in two years of investment.

  The Mavins: Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Dr Sid, D'Prince, Reekado Banks, Korede Bello, Di'Ja (Obi Somto)

In Nigeria, getting actual stats and figures to back any inquiry is a huge ask, as organizations are more likely to shield the public from their business figures. But Korede Bello has one an estimate out now.

 

Pulse Music uses the available metrics to judge who is Don Jazzy’s worst investment of the Mavin 2.0 era. The profit indicated below is net, which is the money in the bank, after the removal of Don Jazzy’s spending on these artistes and his direct investment in their careers.

Korede Bello (Sleek Performer)

  Singer: Korede Bello (Obi Somto)

As an artiste, Korede Bello’s branding has been a very strong asset in his growth. His strength so far, lies in his weakness of play. The young man is breezy, fantastical, and Jheri-curled. Possessing a ‘cute’ frame, and a smile to kill, the singer is a cross between Bruno Mars and a younger Michael Jackson without the dance moves.

He has been groomed and branded along those lines, with comic sensibilities thrown into his work to give him an appeal that few in the Nigerian music industry possess.

This has been devastating in its effects. Korede Bello is the most loved singer of the new Mavin stars. Why young women love Korede Bello is simple to decipher. He appeals to the little girls in them and evokes feelings of love, cuteness and beauty. They want to hug him like a stuffed doll, and feel his warmth and innocent energy course up their veins and warm their hearts.

  Singer: Korede Bello (Obi Somto)

Korede’s creative process is to make songs that stride the fine line between alternative and pop. He also throws in teenage love for effect. ‘Godwin’, his one true hit song so far was off the radar, an anomaly that struck a general nerve, and lined his pockets with financial reward. ‘Romantic’ is chilling with over 15 million Youtube views, ‘Godwin’ comes close with a mega 10 million. Digitally, he is a views magnet, with audio song ‘Do like that’ amassing over 4 million viewers. Mungo Park has over 5 million, and the low-investment ‘One & Only’ is over the million mark.

On social media, across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, the cute singer is a darling. He currently has over 2 million followers across all channels. He is also a brand ambassador for GLO and Woodin Nigeria. There are also performances, which involve huge fees and payments.

Profit: Over N100 million.

Di’Ja (Mama Eccentric)

  Singer: Di'Ja (Obi Somto)

Di’Ja is still a conundrum for many. The singer is unique, perhaps too unique to be understood and appreciated by all. Possessing a slim frame, she lacks stark sexuality, coming off as your crush in high school, and that best friend that you would love to marry after sowing your wild oats.

Her music is fantastical too. Di’Ja’s Senegalese Krio and Northern Nigerian heritage is reflective in all many of her songs. Di’Ja has been in Canada, where she studied the ropes, put work in, and got some recognition for her work. In reality, Di’Ja is not Nigerian. She is Senegalese, by virtue of her father’s nationality. But her time in Northern Nigeria, Canada and the USA have been a blessing to her craft.

  Singer: Di'Ja (Obi Somto)

This uniqueness and fusion of influences can be a curse too. The singer is still on a quest to find her one true sound, with each new music release feeling like an experimentation. The success of ‘Aww’ did help her status, but other songs have failed to fare so well.

Di’Ja is also married, and recently took time out to enjoy the joys of motherhood. This affected her musical output, and has also slowed down her growth. Right now, she has to balance the demands of a home with her quest for musical satisfaction.

Di’Ja still continues to retain her fans, with the majority of people drawn to her personality belonging to the elite demographic. People with more metrosexual and Afropolitan inclinations. This is a good thing, through and through.

Financially, she has a contract with GLO. And also, her digital sales number are decent. There’s also the views and the social media following which involve over 1.5 million people across all channels.

Profit: Over N50 million.

Reekado Banks (Pop Beast)

  Singer: Reekado Banks (Obi Somto)

Reekado Banks is an amazing singer, songwriter and composer. The young man who prior to signing up with the Mavins was named Spicy.

He had a following in UniLag, worked on some singles which put him on the map, but ultimately got his name stolen by some other artiste. The good part of this story is that Reekado Banks cooler than Spicy.

Reekado is tremendously talented, combining his Afro Pop sensibilities with romantic songwriting and introspection, to provide music as art. Credited for his part in the emergence of the Mavin 2.0, the singer has played a huge part in most of the sound coming from the Mavin camp. His magnum opus so far still remains his work on Dorobucci, and Adaobi, two songs that came from his prolific songwriting skills.

Many on the surface, the fans can only perceive and appreciate the man who appears on TV and gives them good music, but behind those bright screen scenes, he is a creator of content.

  Singer: Reekado Banks (Obi Somto)

Reekado also has his failings. Some of which are beyond his control. He doesn’t possess the looks of Korede Bello and Kiss Daniel, neither does he have the vocal ranges that can add holistic dynamism to songs. But he creatively works through all of these, with impeccable grooming, key collaborations, and tweaking of sound to come out super.

But financially, he is a juggernaut who has rewarded Don Jazzy’s investment with the most returns. Not even 23 yet, Reekado Banks owns a livestock farm, landed properties and elevated his family beyond their wildest dreams.

Financially, he has the most digital sales, by sheer numbers. Being a pop singer, with a huge inclination towards club bangers, Reekado has more music out than any of the other 2.0 recruits. He is the first of them all to snag an album, and possesses more hit songs and suggestive hits. His followership on social media is also bloated, with over 2 million followers across all channels.

Profit: over N150m.

Conclusion

  Stargate with Don Jazzy
(instagram)

Don Jazzy has no ‘worst’ investment. A shrewd businessman, the music mogul has worked hard at creating stars for a huge part of his life, and for Mavin 2.0, he already has improved his label bottom line, and made more money for himself, the business, and his investors. There are no worst investments in Mavin 2.0.