Not too long ago, DJs were not so much to reckon with when it came to mainstream entertainment. We only knew DJs as people who played songs on the radio. These days, however, DJs command as much respect as artistes, sharing the spotlight with their albums, hit songs and big endorsement deals.
Disc Jockeying has become a very lucrative career in Nigeria as many of them keep improving their craft, winning awards and gaining international recognition.
Here is a list of five of the most successful DJs in Nigeria.
DJ Jimmy Jatt
Unarguably one of the oldest in the industry and most sought after,
Jimmy Adewale Amu started his entertainment career as a rapper and switched to disk jockeying when no record label agreed to sign him on. His album
Industry Volume 1 contained the mega-hit song
Stylee with one of Africa’s greatest artistes,
Tuface Idibia.
DJ Xclusive
The UK born DJ/producer and artiste,
Rotimi Alakija, started his career in 2003. He is the DJ with the most songs to his credit including the hit 2015 hit
Alhaji which features
Tiwa Savage and
Reekado Banks. He also has several awards among which are the
Worlds Best DJ 2010 award at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards, USA.
DJ Cuppy
Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, born in 1992 to the family of Femi and Nana Otedola, may not be the first female DJ in Nigeria, but is certainly the most sought-after woman in her the profession. She was the resident DJ at the MTV Africa music awards 2014 and later at MTV2’s
Uncommon Sense in 2016. In 2017, she embarked on the
Cuppy Takes Africa, tour where she visited eight cities including Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Senegal and Ghana.
DJ Cuppy released her first compilation mix
House of Cuppy in 2014 in London, New York and Nigeria. Her first single,
Green Light, featured Tekno and was released in 2017.
She is a director at the
Red Velvet Music Group, London, a music management and content production company.
DJ Spinall
The DJ, who wears his characteristic,
fila (Yoruba traditional cap) irrespective of attire, was born
Sodamola Oluseye Desmond. He distinguishes himself with his rare ability to play and mix all genres into one playlist, hence the name
“Spin all”
The DJ also is known as ”The CAP” (Crazy A** Party) is the first Nigerian DJ to get a brand endorsement. His endorsement with Smirnoff Ice was signed in 2015 and renewed in 2016.
DJ Neptune
Born
Imohiosen Patrick, DJ Neptune began to show interest in entertainment at age 10, entertaining family and neighbours. He, however, began his professional career as a DJ in 2001 before joining
RayPower 100.5FM as the in-house DJ for six years.
DJ Neptune has worked for several radio stations and also runs an online radio;
Neptunes FM. He is one of the most industrious and respected DJs in the country.
Let us know who your favourite DJs are in the comment below.
Feature image photo credit: www.ghafla.com
