One of the nation’s leading Deejays, DJ Jimmy Jatt (Jimmy Amu), on Thursday said that deejays were highly unappreciated in the Nigerian entertainment sector.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that Deejays worked harder than other entertainers in the industry but were not given due recognition for their talent.
“Deejays being regarded as the weakest link in entertainment is a bit worrisome because I think the deejays do more than a lot of people in the entertainment industry do.
“I mean if it is radio, deejays play longer hours than anybody; if it is concert; deejays play longer hours than anybody, whatever it is, whatever music is being played.
“The deejays are like the centre of the whole thing but it’s amazing how club owners do not understand that in this country; it’s amazing how concert promoters do not understand that.
“It’s amazing how radio do not understand that in this country and you wonder why,’’ he said.
Jimmy Jatt added that he and his colleagues have harped on the need for criteria to be drawn up to streamline the goings-on in the profession.
“For you to even be able to be a part of all this coalition or association being formed, you have to be confirmed to be a deejay and that’s easy for a gathering of deejays to determine.
“Now, another thing we are trying to do is to make sure that employers of deejays do employ professional deejays, and professional deejays ideally should be members of these professional body.
“So we will expect that if you go to this club, the deejay there should be a professional deejay who of course would have been a member of this professional body.
“You will expect that if you go to this radio station, the radio station should employ a professional deejay and the professional deejay should be a member of the professional body.
“So all that is in the works but it will definitely get to that point,” he added.
Jimmy Jatt will be celebrating his 25th year anniversary as a DJ on Aug. 17, with a three-part event, including the launch of a book “Avant-Garde: the cool DJ Jimmy Jatt Story’’ by Peju Akande and Toni Kan.
There will also be an album launch, “The Industry”” —featuring over 50 artists from across the world and a performances at the Intercontinental Hotel, Lagos.
/NAN