NET EXCLUSIVE: Inside story of Jesse Jagz’s war with Chocolate City

 

Chocolate City – Executives and recording artistes. Photo: Chocolate City Group

Jesse Jagz on Wednesday, March 30, 2012 via his personal Facebook account shocked fans worldwide when he categorically stated that he was taking a ‘voluntary exit from his label Chocolate City’.

His statement:

‘I, Jesse Garba Abaga (also known as ‘Jesse Jagz’) an artist formerly signed to Chocolate City Music label hereby wishes to notify my fans and the general public about my voluntary exit from the label.

After my initial two year contractual agreement with Chocolate City, I do not wish to renew my contract with them and as such have proceeded to continue my music career with my new team at Jesse Jagz Nation.

I still maintain a cordial relationship with the management of

Chocolate City and my former label mates and I wish them the best in all their future endeavours.

Any further information will be passed across through my publicist but until then, have a good day. Look out for my sophomore album JagZNation Vol. 1 coming out in July 2013′.

This comes as a sudden shock to everyone including some staff and executives at Chocolate City but those in the know will tell you this was long expected.

Close sources to Jesse Jagz and Chocolate City tell us there had been an ungoing war between the ‘Wetin dey’ singer and the popular label.

Jagz, one source told NET, ‘was fed up with the way the label was handling his career and decided to frustrate them in return.’

Jagz last release was his debut album in May 2010, after then he sort of went into comatose, save for his production of Ice Prince and BrymO’s albums in 2011 and 2012 and a few minor releases, we might not have noticed his presence.

‘Chocolate City have a one-year/one-artiste project run’, a staff at Chocolate City tells NET.

(2008-2009 was M.I, then ’09-’10 was Jesse, ’10-’11 was M.I again, ’11-’12 was Ice Prince, ’12-’13 was for Brymo, this year’s run ’13-’14 was meant to be for Jesse Jagz).

‘But Chocolate City signed three new acts – Pryse, Nosa and Victoria Kimani and started concentrating on the last two when they noticed Jesse had started giving them trouble’, our source adds.

‘Jesse would refuse to go to the label’s studio at Lekki Phase 1, he and the other choc boys M.I and Ice Prince had built separate studios in their Palmgroove, Lagos residence. Jesse just kept making music, a lot of music, over 100 songs’.

Then there were allegedly two strong claims the label made against ‘Jargo’; the first that he owed a lot of money.

‘Choc City said Jargo owed them money, there were several cases where he would travel to the North for a gig and wouldn’t bring back anything to the label. At times, he would claim they paid him just to appear and that didn’t hold under his contractual agreement’.

The second was his alleged substance abuse. There are very strong claims that Jesse Jagz, a truly talented rapper and producer, is addicted to Marijuana.

‘Everybody smokes ‘igbo’ but Jesse’s own was too much! He would be reeking of Igbo smell when he came up to the studio to hang out. Don’t you see his Instagram photos, don’t you read his revolutionary tweets? He thinks he’s Fela or Bob Marley for Christ’s sake!‘

Sources say Sola Oladebo, Jesse’s manager for the last three years, is tired of the whole situation.

‘Sola is tired, fed up but can’t leave him now, he has invested too much time in Jargo. At a time, there was nothing to do as Jesse career was dormant, so when Choc City fired Ice Prince’s former manager in 2012, they made Sola the interim manager’.

We are told till the night of his shocking announcement, elder brother M.I and the other Choc Boys were unaware of his self-imposed exit. M.I had just released his comeback single for his next album ‘The Chairman’ when Jesse dropped the bombshell.

‘M.I was as shocked as everyone else. He’s not happy Jesse didn’t tell him of the situation first. He has erased all thoughts of leaving Choc City now as a sign to show loyalty’, a friend to M.I says.

An insider told us over the weekend, that the last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Audu Maikori, top exec at the label summoned him via E-mail, he simply replied with two words ‘F**k You’.

Maikori could not be reached and we’re told that following Jagz’ statement, he immediately contacted all staff (including artistes) and instructed them not to speak to the press.

Attempts to reach him and other staff at the label through emails, phone calls and text messages have been unsuccessful.Jesse’s manager could not be reached for comments as his mobile phone was switched off.Will other acts follow suit? An insider tells us ‘Watch out for Brymo, he mightalso throw in the towel soon. He had issues with Vice Presido M.I in 2012, he also has grown wings, you can never tell’.

But there are the likes of M.I and Ice Prince  - two prized acts at the successful label who have publicly assured fans Choc City will remain home for a long time.

Jesse Jagz, 28, signed to the label along with his elder brother Jude ‘M.I’ Abaga in 2008 after the gifted rapper became an instant success with his debut ‘Talk About It‘.

Jesse Jagz in late 2009 went on to release his debut ‘Jagz of All Trades’ which spurned the hit songs ‘Wetin dey’ amongst other chart topping cuts.