My best mix played at
gun point – DJ Jimmy Jatts
By LUKMON BUSARI
Friday March 17, 2006
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DJ Jimmy Jatts
Photo: Sun News
Publishing
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In those days when no one saw anything fantastic in Hip-hop
music, Jimi Amu, widely known as DJ Jimmy Jatts, was out there
in the streets of Lagos, organising road shows and carnivals
for musically ambitious youths.
Having denied himself the opportunity of performing on stage,
Jatts would rather let the now famous Daddy Showkey, Daddy
Fresh, Aladdin, Plantashun Boiz and others display the talents
they have for the world.
The journey today has yielded success. Amu is not only a mentor
to many other popular Nigerian DJs, but a very mobile one
across Nigeria and beyond. It was a Herculean task tracking
Jatts down for an interview as he always hops from one place
to the other.
In 1989 and 1990, he was pronounced Africa’s number
one DJ. Today, he is one of the most sought-after by corporate
organisations and music promoters.
Interestingly, jovial Jimmy Jatts claimed he had never had
problem with his ears after decades of marrying them to the
blasting speakers. And if you want a chuckle from Jatts, ask
him about the ‘life-saving mix’. He will certainly
tell you about a crazy fan who pointed a gun at him to request
the music of Shaggy and Caroline.
Background
My name is Jimi Amu, stage name Jimmy Jatts. I hail from Ijebu
Ode, Ogun State. I’m a DJ and I have been doing that
for about 20 years. I’m from a family of three brothers
and one sister. I’m married with two kids.
Journey so far
I love my job and I try to devote all my energy into it. But
people must accept what you do because they are the ones that
would actually make you what you are. If people don’t
accept you, you won’t get anywhere.
I started out like an aspiring artiste, thinking that someday,
I’d release an album. Of course, I’m still in
that line but I have since transformed from an aspiring artiste
to a DJ. When I was younger, I loved music and I started fiddling
with instruments, which belonged to my father. My parents
and brothers were really into music. What we had then was
more than any DJ could boast of. My father was into importation
of electronics and musical instruments were not strange to
me. All these actually influenced my going into music in the
first place.
Looking back now, I think I have no regrets being a DJ, because
if I had dumped DJ, I couldn’t have gone far in music.
I’m glad I’m a DJ today.
First outing
I cannot remember. I started with friends and relations. I
moved from there to organise my own shows because the rap
thing didn’t leave me. I put up shows but I don’t
get to perform because so many up-coming artistes were ready
to do that. I used to put up a roadblock in front of my studio
at Obalende. I also did mix tapes for people and a lot of
people had to record from me. It was going round. When people
were out for parties, they played those tapes and other people
started asking for the artiste behind it. So, the name started
spreading like that.
Most impressive show
I have been part of many big shows. Many of these shows were
not rated on the basis of money but the kind of people who
attended them. All roadblock shows and the raves I made in
the institutions of higher learning have equipped me and got
me fulfilled. At Water Parks, I used to organise shows for
artistes who are now famous.
Working experience
I started as a mobile DJ. Then, I wanted to find out if I
could do clubbing and I did it. It’s a different thing
playing for clubs and playing gigs for different sets of people
all over the country. I did clubbing and I discovered that
I could be more of a mobile DJ, which I am still doing.
I have also been a Radio DJ. I did a bit of that in OGBC and
Ray Power in their early days. I still do the radio bit at
the background but I don’t want to disclose where. Unfortunately,
I am very busy as a mobile DJ, so I can’t be regular
on radio.
But radio performance does not really sharpen an artiste.
The challenge comes from moving around to places like Sokoto,
Calabar among others. This makes the job more interesting
and not boring. Clubbing too could be monotonous and boring.
DJ and piracy
I have no time to produce a mixed CD for years. Even if I
mix CDs, it’s for promotional and personal use. For
example, I can use it whenever my son is having a get-together
and use it to entertain guests. Those mixes you hear about
are those produced for the Alaba traders by some hungry DJs.
I’ve never been part of that and I’ll never be.
There are always bad eggs in any business and this is why
some artistes pirate their own music. You would be amazed
that some artistes do leak works by their colleagues to pirates.
Challenges
The way most people perceive the job in Nigeria is not the
way it is. Some people want you as DJ and when you tell them
the fee, which is even considered cheap, they ask you ‘Ah,
just to come and play music?.’ They do not know the
amount money that goes into acquiring equipment. If I set
up my equipment fully, it’s two or three times worth
more than the whole equipment of a live band.
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