Wande Coal called out Don Jazzy

Wande Coal and iconic producer Don Jazzy briefly traded barbs on Twitter over the release of Wande’s song Baby Face, sparking intense debate about artistic ownership, mentorship and respect in the industry. The social media exchange, rooted in allegations over creative credit and intellectual property, reignited old conversations about power dynamics between artists and producers — especially those with shared roots in Mo’Hits Records — the legendary label that once united a generation of Afrobeats stars. 

At the heart of this dispute was Don Jazzy’s claim that he had previously crafted a version of Baby Face and felt Wande Coal’s release lacked proper attribution. In a tweet that set the internet ablaze, Jazzy wrote that the song was his studio demo made about a year earlier, suggesting that releasing it without acknowledgment was disrespectful. Wande’s response — while not a full denial of the claim — conveyed both defiance and disappointment, hinting at deeper issues about how talent is nurtured and how success is managed once an artist leaves a label. 

 This isn’t a matter unique to our industry; it echoes a global creative tension seen from Hollywood screenwriters to Silicon Valley software engineers: who owns the idea, and how should credit be shared?

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