Don JazzySuper producer's top 10 biggest productions

 

On his birthday, Pulse Music brings to you the top ten songs produced by Don Jazzy. The Don Dorobucci is perhaps the most influential music producer of the last decade. He is the architect behind several hit singles in Nigeria. In the heydays of Mo' Hits he held a monopoly in the night clubs as most of his songs were on heavy rotation.

With Mavin Records he has gotten his grip on pop music once again, and from all indication he isn't ready to let go. Here are the top ten biggest productions from Don Baba J.

1. Oliver by D'Banj - This unarguably is Don Jazzy's biggest production. Ironically this song goes down in history as the last song that the Don and D'Banj worked on officially. Released in 2011, the song blew on the international scene in 2012. The song was featured in the 2012 Olympics in London. 'Oliver' spawned many covers from artists worldwide including Latino rapper Pitbull.
2. Fall In Love by D'Banj - Before 'Oliver' came into existence, this was Don Jazzy's biggest production. With a contemporary highlife instrumental, a lovely sax solo from Yemi Sax, and Wande Coal doing the back up vocals, Don Jazzy helped D'Banj score his biggest hit then. It was a love song from the notorious playboy that scored really big.
3. Dorobucci by Mavin All Stars - The ambiguous viral pop hit made from Don Jazzy's fingers affirmed his new imprint Mavin Records as the leading record label in the country. The infectious and groovy song that is made up of Don Jazzy's formulaic Naija pop sound was hard to miss, as grand mothers and kids danced to the tune. The song features the established Mavin crew and the starlets of the label.
4. Tongolo by D'Banj - This was the song that kick started Don Jazzy's music production career. Released in 2004, the introductory hit single features a hard hitting bouncy bass line, blended with the harmonica and Don Baba Jay's back up vocals. This song introduced the most potent music duo in Nigeria for the next 8 years.
5. Booty Call by Mo' Hits All Stars - Released in 2007, this was the song that presented the Mo' Hits All Stars made up of Don Jazzy, D'Banj, Wande Coal, Dr. Sid, D'Prince and Kay Switch. 'Booty Call' was another pop production with a banging bass line. Anchored by Wande Coal's vocals, the Mo' Hits boys did their thing on the track, creating one of the most definitive 'booty' tracks in Naija pop.
6. You Bad by Wande Coal - It's hard to pick a Don Jazzy/Wande Coal collaboration that deserves to be in the Top Ten. Wande Coal is a producer's dream. Choosing one, we've picked 'You Bad' one of the major singles off W.C's 'Mushin 2 Mo' Hits' album.
7. This song starts with Don Jazzy showing off on the keyboard, followed by Wande Coal hitting us with his high-pitched voice. With simple drums, Don Jazzy showcased Wande Coal as a pop beast who virtually re-wrote the format of pop music in the country.
8. Surulere by Dr. Sid - Dr. Sid has dropped a few hits in his career, but none bigger than and more surprising than 'Surulere'. The song fits the profile of an A-list act but Dr. Sid gracefully carried the song on his back.
9. 'Surulere' was made with Don Jazzy's new sound- infectious Naija pop melodies place under easy rhyme schemes. With a strong concept to go with, this is  one of Don Jazzy's biggest and finest hits as the boss of Mavin Records. Even in his second spell Don Jazzy is still banging out hits.
10. Igwe by D'Banj - Another contemporary highlife hit from Don Jazzy in 2008 was 'Igwe'. The infusion of Igbo is one of the early examples of Igbo music penetrating pop music in the new millennium.
11. This is arguably D'Banj's first national hit, allowing him to extend his presence to the Eastern part of Nigeria. The song became a huge anthem in the East. 
12. Omoba by D'Prince - D'Prince was seen as the weak link of the Mo' Hits crew, but his big bro came to his rescue and created a slew of hits for him. The biggest has to be Omoba, the song that launched him as the prince of 'Tungba' music in Nigeria.
13. With an over simplistic rhyme pattern, and an amazing production bordering on hypnotic, D' Prince came out of the shadows to start his solo career.
14. Ololufe by Wande Coal- Don Jazzy hardly strays from his beloved pop sound, but when he does he creates a good song. The best of these songs is Wande Coal's unofficial debut single 'Ololufe'.

This is one of the best R&B tracks of our the last ten years. It is sad that it was not pushed well. The instrumental is a lush soft arrangement that displays the innocence and beauty of Wande Coal's voice before he hit the limelight.