I see myself as a rookie – DJ Jimmy Jatt

DJ Jimmy Jatt: Spinning away

Jimi Amu a.k.a. DJ Jimmy Jatt is more than a Disc Jockey. He is not just a guy who stands in front of a turntable and mix different songs together. With a fashion line, syndicated TV show (Jimmy’s Jump Off), production company, and as a producer, DJ Jimmy Jatt is reputably Africa’s number one DJ and has been able to revolutionise the industry. DJ Jimmy, who has attained a legendary status in the entertainment industry, started the profession when no one was ready to dabble into it and some of his mates with whom he started with have long time quit. Little wonder he is enjoying all the acclaim today. Benjamin Onaghinor had a chat with him.

You are always coming out with new things of which the latest is your branded hat line.What inspires the things you do?

Music is what inspires the things I do and that’s why everything revolves around music. I don’t just see myself as a DJ. I see myself as an entrepreneur who tries to build businesses around my passion and drive for music.

Let’s talk about your hat line.

As everyone knows, my dressing is incomplete without a face cap or snap-back. It has over the years become part of my brand identity and it all started from way back when I used to be very shy, and I’m still shy. I wear the caps to cover up my face when I’m in public. I discovered that I keep and kept buying face caps. Whenever I travel, I always return with a load of new face caps. In fact I can’t count the number of face caps in my house; they should be enough to open a face cap store, seriously!

So, it just occurred to me that instead of buying other people’s face caps, I could just produce my own, just the way I prefer them. So you have the “D Triple J (DJJJ) Snapbacks designed for me by popular clothier, Marco Martinez. We recently launched it at Swe Bar, Lagos. Right now it’s the favourite of Nigerian artistes. The hats are so stylish and cool. It’s won in musical videos and on the streets. I’m glad that it is being well received. It’s worn by the likes of Tuface, Muna, MI and just everybody who is somebody in the industry.

You also dropped “Won Ko Mi Je” a song and video recently featuring Muna, Sauce Kid, Igho and fast-rising act Orezi. Tell us about it.

“Won Ko Mi Je” is just one of the songs from my forthcoming compilation album. When I released “The Definition” compilation album some years back and featured 50 artistes, many people were shocked at the success of the album, particularly “Stylee” a song from the album featuring Tuface Idibia. I also want to surprise my fans with this new one. Many people have been saying that is DJ Jimmy Jatt trying to be a musician, but I say no. I have not delved into music. I am a DJ first of all, will that qualify me to be a musician? And of course, I became a DJ because I was an aspiring artiste, I was going to make music., I was shopping around with my demo. But I developed the interest when I started DJ and I felt comfortable with DJing. But the album I did is more like a DJ hosting artistes, so you won’t hear me singing or rapping. Right now I’m working on a new compilation, so it is not something I do every time or every year, it is once in a long while. It is just something I love doing and I keep doing it as I can keep doing it.

How long has DJ Jimmy Jatt been around?

Well, I’ve been around for a while now. It should be up to three decades, you know.

You are considered the best DJ in Africa. How does it feel?

I feel the same. People may see me as the best DJ in Africa, but I don’t let all that get into me at all. I always tell people that I see myself as a rookie. I see myself as a rookie because I’m constantly learning new things and trying to get better. I appreciate the fact that I’m considered Africa’s best. That’s a great honour, but I never allow that get into my head.

I’m aware that many top Nigerian DJ’s, including DJ Waxxy who is about South-Africa’s biggest DJ, is your protégée. How true is this?

Well, you are right. It’s not only DJ Waxxy. We have DJ Yodee in Abuja and DJ Olly Gee in Kaduna. The truth is that I have my boys all over the world. Go to Europe, Asia, America, you will find DJs who have passed through me.

Is DJ Jimmy Jatt trying to be the Mafia of the Nigerian DJ world?

No, it’s just the grace of the Almighty God that I have the opportunity to tutor these guys. I have never stopped having people call me that they want to learn the profession and I do what I can to assist. When people see what you do and they like it, they will want to be part of it. Even though I started at a time when DJing was seen as a profession for never-do-wells, I’m shocked at the way people are now picking interest in the profession. You have graduates who call me that they want to be DJs. The interesting part is that some mothers even call me that they would like to enrol their daughters with me to learn DJ-ing.

Is Dj-ing something a female can do comfortably? It seems more like a man’s job if you consider the fact that DJs stay out late most times.

Why can’t a female do it? I have trained several female DJs already. There are professions that people do and they have to stay out late such as Nursing. Nurses do night shift and nursing is seen more as a female profession. So there is nothing wrong with a lady becoming a DJ.

Considering our kind of environment, won’t a lady DJ be considered wayward?

A profession doesn’t make a lady wayward. She gets wayward because she wants to be. Indecency is a matter of personal values and morals. A lady who wants to be wayward will still be wayward even if you put her in a bank to work. There are female bankers who sleep with their bosses right inside the office. These things are happening but you won’t know. But if it happened in the entertainment industry, people will talk about it.

So how can women be encouraged to become DJs?

A lot of women already want to become DJs, but they are not taking the steps because of what their people will say. I will just tell them to ignore whatever anyone says and follow their dreams. If they become successful those people who were against them initially will come back to embrace them and even apologise. It’s just like football; it was seen as a profession for men alone in the past, but many young ladies are now scrambling to join a football club.

You are also a family man…

Yes, I am married. I have been married for fifteen years with two kids. And just like Obama, I have two daughters very close to my heart. I do tell people that I have three wives. My two daughters and their mom are my three wives.

What makes you different from other DJs who just mix music to entertain people at parties?

First and foremost you must know that the world of DJ-ing is challenging, but to stand out you must be extraordinarily hard-working. Many DJs see DJ Jimmy Jatt performing at high profile gigs of multinationals such as Nigerian Breweries PLC, Guiness, and what have you and wish to do the same, but they are not ready to put in the kind of hard work I put into this job. A DJ must always keep him/herself updated with events and happenings in the profession. You need to update your equipment. I can boast that there is no industry stand equipment, no matter how expensive, that I have not upgraded to before. I have the same kind of equipment you will find on the sets of the biggest DJs in the world. DJs need to research and find out what the fans like. Those are some of the things I do that make me stand out. I’m very flexible and innovative. pls if you like/ don't like some things about this alway drop your comments