Some Nigerian music producers have somehow found a way to merge singing with their natural voices and to their technical abilities to produce hit songs.
Maybe it’s the rise of streaming or the recognition that producers have gotten recently, but there’s no denying that producers are now feeling like they can do the music thing too. I mean, if they’re good enough, why not?
Naija Loaded compiled a list of five top producer-singers in the industry. These are all guys we know who can hold their own either on the instruments or in the booth.
1. Don Jazzy
This wouldn’t even be a complete list unless the Don is on it. Don Jazzy is a legend who was very instrumental in the rise of contemporary pop music. In the 2000s, Don Jazzy was the principal producer for the Mo’hits crew that gave us D’banj and Wande Coal. It’s not news that he’s a good singer himself, as he has featured on many singles from his artists. He has also had collaborations with artists like Olamide, Phyno, and P-Square in the past.
2. Maleek Berry
Before Maleek Berry started to gain attention as a singer around 2018, he was previously known as a prodigy producing for artists like WizKid, Runtown, and Wande Coal. He is most popular for the Wizkid song “The Matter” that he produced and actually has artist credits for. Maleek Berry’s probably one of the first producers to ever feature an artist and not sing on the track like a DJ would. In that way, Berry was really ahead of his time.
3. Tekno
Tekno’s biggest credit is for Davido‘s 2017 smash hit, “IF.” If only for that single, he deserves to be on this list. His production credits include songs from Bracket, Victoria Kimani, Ice Prince, and Lynxx. Low-key he’s done his bit.
4. Pheelz
Pheelz has been YBNL’s foremost producer for ten years now. He was even the one that made the “YBNL” album for Baddo in 2012. When he started singing last year, people didn’t take it seriously, but now with a huge hit like “Finesse,” well we all gotta take him seriously now don’t we? He’s got the juice and with his cards played right, he will continue to be on top, producing top hits and charting his own hits too.
5. Young Jonn
Another Made-in-YBNL producer that has recently taken to singing, before now, Young John was okay with just featuring artists and letting them do the singing (“Ello Baby” ft. Kizz Daniel, Tiwa Savage). But now, he wants to do it all by himself and that’s okay. He recently released an EP and while the hype is not much around him right now, there’s a good chance sometimes in the future, he’s gonna get the buzz. If he doesn’t quit, of course.
