Dbanj has given an exclusive and unfiltered account of his separation from Don Jazzy, revealing that the decision to part ways came directly from Jazzy and left him with no option but to accept the new reality.
Speaking on the Micon Podcast with journalist Seun Okinbaloye, the singer said Don Jazzy informed him of the move over 2 decades ago and handed him complete ownership of his catalogue, including nearly ten unreleased songs, before they formally went their different ways.
Dbanj said the separation never came from anger or rivalry. Don Jazzy wanted to build a record label engineered for a global footprint. Dbanj said he wanted something faster and more instinctive, a career that moved like a bullet train and set the pace rather than waiting for permission.
He said their visions stretched apart, but their relationship never cracked. He noted that timing, ambition and direction drove the split, not ego. Dbanj pointed to the global reception of Oliver Twist as a sign that the momentum never faded. He added that Don Jazzy personally told him about his global deal last year, a gesture Dbanj described as proof that their bond remains solid.
For him, music has always been about forward motion, the future and solutions that push the culture ahead, not the structure of a label.
The interview offers one of the rare, first-hand windows into a separation that helped shape two of Africa’s most influential creative empires.
