Several years ago, if you needed a dope beat, it had to be OJB Jezreel. No matter who you were, so long as you were an artiste in the early 2000s, there�s no way you would not have come to pay homage at the No. 4, Gbaja Street, Surulere location of the renowned Silverpoint studios (later renamed PointBeats studios).
My first visit to the studio was sometime around 2004 when I went to meet up with a close friend, Dapo Pinheiro, who then was a rapper, known as Nutty Pin. Incidentally, he was a cousin to OJB, and so it was easy for me to just blend in.
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SilverPoint studios was like a central convergence point for most artistes in Lagos then. Every evenings, artistes would gather at the studio which was incidentally the same location as OJB�s residence. We would gather and talk about music, music and music.
OJB on his path was quite the receptive kind of guy, very quiet and sometimes funny. Many of the guys were living in his home and some crashed in his studios and he didn�t seem to be bothered. He enjoyed the company and was always open to both the rising acts as well.
Each time I went there, there were of course the usual suspects, Abounce, Nomoreloss, Ruggedman, C�mion, Jazzman Olofin, Azadus, Lexy Doo and the others that made occasional visits from Mode 9 to Basketmouth.
Through OJB�s platform, a lot of artistes got their big break because most of the tracks recorded then, were done free of charge. The producer hardly ever got to charge for his works, reason being that most of the artistes always seem to first become friends before they started recording, which always makes it difficult for the issue of session fee to come up.
I remember quite well, when OJB was recording 2face�s debut album, �Grass to Grace�. He would come to the studio, hang out with the guys, gist and later, go in for his recording. Honestly, none of us thought for a second that the album was going to turn out this big.
A young D�banj also had one of his first recordings with the award-winning producer before he left for the UK. I know a lot of people didn�t even get to see the video for the song then titled, �Kiss Me Again� featuring Ruggedman.
It would be interesting to also note that, Wizkid�s first recording way before he ever came in contact with Banky W and EME, was done in OJB�s studio. Then under the name, Lil� Prinz, an 11-year old Wizkid recorded a 7-track album produced by OJB.
The list of the other acts that have benefitted from the talents of OJB is quite lengthy. Some he taught how to produce songs, while others he taught to edit videos. Nomoreloss is always quick to admit, �OJB taught me to write songs and produce others, he also taught me to place the interest of others before my own�
OJB used to say, �If you have a talent and love for anything, just put enough work into it, it may take some time, but someday it will pay off�. Yes, indeed that thought has worked for a lot of people who will forever be grateful for his tutelage and mentorship.
Thanks
