By Yinka Akanbi
Collins Ajereh, a show business entrepreneur, talent manager and father of Mavins Records Boss, Michael Ajereh, popularly known as Don Jazzy, has commended Ayo Shonaiya’s documentary, ‘Afrobeats: The Backstory’ which recently debuted on streaming platform, Netflix.
Ajereh, while congratulating Shonaiya, described the documentary as a well thought-out contribution to the creative industry’s conversations about Afrobeats worldwide.
“I want to congratulate you for the great work which you have put into the making of ‘Afrobeats: The Back Story’ documentary. I had looked forward to watching it and just did. I am very happy with what I saw and applaud the incredible effort which you have deployed into accomplishing this well thought-about contribution to our creative industries conversations worldwide. I am very proud of you and will like to thank you for this and may God bless you,” he said on his Instagram handle @mavingrandpa.
Shonaiya’s response to him is full of gratitude: “Sir, since the documentary cane out, this is my most treasured comment. If you know how much this gladdens my heart. I thank you for the kind words and for your prayers. Above all, we thank God for everything. You have made me happy today. God bless you sir,” he commented.
Apparently impressed by Shonaiya’s response. Don Jazzy’s father commented further, stating that the documentary will inspire stakeholders in the Nigerian music industry to keep giving their all in contributing their quota to the growth of the industry.
He wrote: “If you do not know where you are coming from, you may not realise how far you have come and may not even know where you are going. I make this remark to appreciate the efforts of my brother @ayoshonaiya towards the production of ‘Afrobeats The Back Story’ documentary now streaming on Netflix. I recommend it to all my friends, fans, Nigerian new wave music enthusiasts, creative industries gate keepers, stakeholders, music industry hopefuls and most especially the entire members of AMAN (Artistes Managers Association of Nigeria) worldwide @amanofficialng. This body of work will inspire you to keep believing and doing your very best because you will surely get there and a success story will be told in the end to the glory of God. Big shout out to @ayoshonaiya @djabass @kennyogungbe @dayod1adeneye @donjazzy, all those featured in the documentary and the entire production crew. May God bless you all abundantly.”
Recall that TCN reported that Afrobeats: The Backstory made its debut on Netflix on Wednesday June 29, 2022 and has continued to receive rave reviews since its debut for being the first to celebrate the exploits of the music genre and some of its promoters putting Nigeria on the global map.
Detailing the humble beginnings of a sound that has skyrocketed in popularity over the past few years and the many transformations the genre has endured over the years, Afrobeats: The Backstory explores how the genre evolved and the major artistes who helped make that evolution possible, all told in 12 episodes from the prism of the direct encounters that Shonaiya had with them over 20 years between 1999 and 2019.