Samklef Speaks Out Amid Crayon’s Mavins Controversy, Questions Don Jazzy’s Artist Success

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Nigerian singer and producer Samklef has joined the conversation following Crayon’s explosive allegations against his former label boss, Don Jazzy, and Mavins Records.

Crayon, who was signed to Mavins Records in 2019, had earlier posted a series of now-deleted tweets claiming that Don Jazzy was responsible for his mother’s death, withheld unpaid royalties, and collected $200 million without paying him. He further suggested that a delayed payment was being used against him, adding, “Una collected 200 million dollars, no give me shishi!! Una wan use delay payment kill me. My eye red!! My mama died because of una!! Heads go roll! Don Jazzy na my boy!! Una dey mad! God go punish all una mama and una papa me. Tega highest criminal! Ojo dey para!! Mavin is going down!! Vaeclar, stop calling my phone, you cray!!”

Responding to the controversy, Samklef alleged that Don Jazzy’s collaboration with social media activist VeryDarkMan has negatively affected the careers of his artists. He suggested that their current struggles may be linked to this partnership.

“I tell una say Jazzy go cast soon! Dem don see Don Jazzy finish. Crayon even call am his boy chai! Ever since Don Jazzy met a Very Dark Man, all the signed artists no gree blow. Ayra Starr look stressed in her last video. Something is not right. Could this be karma? E remain 1 person wey, Don Jazzy chop him eye, an na that one I wan talk about, gan! Gan! And who notices say once any artist leaves me… hmhhhhmmmm,” Samklef wrote on social media.

This latest controversy adds to a growing pattern of Nigerian musicians publicly raising concerns about unpaid royalties and contractual disputes. Last year, Big Brother Naija winner Laycon called out DJ Neptune over delayed payments for their hit song, Nobody remix, noting that it had been four years since their agreement.

Similarly, in December 2023, singer Harrysong publicly criticised Kcee over unreleased songs and unpaid royalties. During an Instagram Live session, he also described how he struggled financially during his seven years of collaboration with Kcee, revealing that he sometimes didn’t even have a bed or mattress, despite supporting Kcee’s career at crucial moments.

Further adding to the list of disputes, upcoming music producer Napji accused Davido of withholding royalties for hit tracks like Fem, Jowo, and Sunlight from the 2020 album A Better Time. Napji revealed that he had only received an advance of N500,000 per song and threatened to release additional details, asking the public to tag Davido.

Reacting to Napji’s claims, Davido briefly responded on social media, writing, “Your papa.”

As the drama unfolds, the music community continues to engage in discussions around artists’ rights, fair compensation, and accountability within record labels. The recent statements from Crayon and Samklef have intensified debates on how record deals are structured and how labels manage the careers of signed artists.

The unfolding situation underscores the need for transparency and equitable treatment in Nigeria’s music industry, particularly for emerging artists who often rely heavily on their labels for support and exposure.

#DonJazzy

#Samklef

#Crayon