19th June, 2010
By Ade Alawode
AJ beats is a genre of music that originated in Nigeria in the early 1990s. It is a fusion of West African traditional beat and Reggae. The genre is characterized by its complex rhythms, use of drums, and political lyrics.
AJ beat was created by Nigerian music producer John Oboh, aka Mighty Mouse, who used his music and production studio to express his ideological beliefs.
The roots of AJ beat can be traced back to traditional Edo Esan samba, which evolved to various traditional beats characterized by the end-of-the-year street carnivals in Nigeria, especially in Lagos, where different upcoming and established artist comes to entertain.
John Oboh and Rise of AJ Beat
John Oboh is widely regarded as the father of AJ beat. Born on 25th April 1967 in Lagos, Nigeria, he was the son of the late Chief Major Humphrey Etafo Oboh from Ugboha, Esan, Edo State, and Chief Mrs Comfort Eimiebaluye Oboh nee Obhiemie from Emu Kingdom, Esan, Edo State, Nigeria.
He began playing music at a young age and was sent to Dublin, Ireland, to Study Business Administration. However, he eventually abandoned his course of study and studied music instead in order to pursue music full-time by initially establishing Jahoha Studios.
John produced the first AJ beats with his first album (If Them nor Ready) followed by the likes of Nigeria popular artist like Daddy Shoki, Daddy Fresh and Baba Fryo.
John Oboh’s AJ music genre came to stay after successfully producing Daddy shoki’s songs, which shot him to fame with the dance galala. Others followed such as Daddy fresh, Baba fryo, etc
His music production style was heavily influenced by how he viewed society and he used the artists under his titulage, like marvelous Benji to sing songs to promote the street types of messages. The artist’s lyrics often dealt with themes such as love, Street credibility, poverty, and inequality. John Oboh’s repatriation sound promotion was to encourage black people living in the diaspora to return back to Africa to avoid modern-day slavery.
Today, AJ beat is a popular genre of music that continues to evolve and change. Modern AJ beat artists, such as Blackface, 2face Idibia, Faz (formerly as plantation boys) and Daddy shoki have all gained international fame and popularity. He has been credited with bringing AJ beat to a global audience, and his productions has been described as a fusion of African traditional beat, dancehall, hip-hop and reggae.
The most prominent modern AJ beat artists are Daddy shoki, Babafryo, Orisha Femi, Danfo Drivers, Marvelous Benji, Flectaman, Banty Banty, etc and African china, a Nigerian singer and songwriter. These artistes have gained international fame and popularity by taking AJ music genre to the next level. They have been credited with bringing AJ beat to a global audience,
AJ beat is a genre of music that took its roots in the Edo Eshan traditional samba beat infused with reggae; however, over the years has taken various dimensions to include highlife. It was created by John Oboh, who used his Jahoha studio based in Ajegule to express his ideological beliefs on street credibility.
His studio and endless artist, music producers, and engineers under him have profoundly impacted Nigerian and African music scenes and Western music. Today, AJ beat continues to evolve and grow, with new artists creating a sound that is both African and global. Its enduring legacy and potential for the future make it a genre of music that will continue to captivate audiences worldwide.