by Reuben Adewale
We have all heard about these producers shaping, creating, and providing soundtracks to our lives in the past few years. From the viral hit song ‘Declan Rice,’ which held 2023 in a chokehold, to multiple productions on Boj’s ‘Gbadaga Express,’ Cruel Santino’s ‘Subaru Boys,’ and Physco YP’s ‘YP SZN 3,’ to Native’s ‘Native World’ project and numerous Nigerian tunes buzzing around. The driving force behind this collection of smooth ear candies is the 44DB member—the very first producer collective in Africa. It consists of mega-star producers, Tochi Bedford, John WAV, Johnson IP, Tobi Fads, Dj Lolu, Trill Xoe, KD, Malik Bawa, VEEN, Jesse Alordiah, and Lex.
We had the opportunity to speak to them about their debut project, the creative production process, and how they came together to become the first producer collective in Africa behind the hit songs we hear today.
Can you share the origin story of 44DB Collective?
Johnson IP: So, sometime in 2018, there was this group chat called ‘Mix Bus, Master Bus’. It was essentially a bunch of creatives from Naija; we had producers and whatnot. Tochi had an existing project called ‘Rawdio’ and a number of us from that group chat moved over to the Rodeo group chat. We did a little bit of rebranding, and that’s how 44DB started. The original group chat included me, Trill Xoe, Veen, Tochi. Then, everyone else was just friends of friends, people we’ve met along the way.
It all happened in the last quarter of 2018.
What does the name 44db stand for?
Johnson IP: “DB” stands for Decibel and 44 is just a cool number, to be honest. We wanted a cool name, something catchy, and a decibel is a unit of sound, so we are loud.
As the pioneering producer collective in Nigeria and Africa, how do you feel about this achievement?
Johnson IP: I would say we are the first because I can’t see anyone else doing it in Nigeria or Africa as well.
Trill: I would say we are the pioneers of this in Nigeria. It is something we initiated based on the feeling that, ‘I like this person, and this person as well, why don’t we just come together to create?’
Johnson IP: And it’s really just about how we all started making music, from group chats and all; we just wanted to make a career out of it.
Malik Bawa: It feels good; we are doing something different. Everyone in 44DB is so creative and different in our own ways, and just coming together to form one entity that broadcasts what we are doing is massive. The word from us is ‘just stay tuned’ because we have some good things coming.
Johnson IP: Some good things are coming; watch this space, you heard it here first.
Veen: Good, good things.
Trill: All shout out to Platoon; they really love the project, they showed love. Hagar, Kolapo, and Drew too.
Johnson IP: Shout out to Drew as well and everyone showing love.
Malik Bawa: For real.
Describe the dynamic when the collective comes together.
Johnson IP: It is a mixture of hard work, chemistry, and fun.
Could you delve into the inspiration for your collective’s latest project title?
Trill: I guess “Lost Files,” because these are records that we have been working on for minutes and just haven’t put out. If you have been following us, we have been teasing this project for a long time. It is just bringing together thoughts that we got from our archive, from different places, because if you listen to the project properly, you will see there is a range, and different collaborators on the songs. So yeah, it is just songs that we had within 44DB and our ecosystem, that goes for the artists we have worked with, the additional producers, and all of that.
Describe the creative journey you underwent while developing this project.
Trill: It was actually a long process, I can’t lie. Because we had an idea of what we wanted the project to sound like, at the same time, we also wanted to involve everyone in 44DB, so it was really a lot of back and forth. But it was done beautifully, and we executed everything as well as we wanted it to be. So yeah, from sending the project back and forth, like Malik Bawa on “National Anthem,” sending the project to him, to sending the first demo and doing post-production on it, it was just a beautiful thing to see because we are trying to promote collaboration among producers, because it’s actually good to work with other people.
Johnson IP: Fun fact, the oldest song from the project is from the COVID era, which will be “Lose My Mind.”
With seven songs selected for the project from your vault, what criteria did you use for choosing them?
Johnson IP: Initially, we had a shortlist of a bunch of songs and there was a first draft. Obviously, because it is a “Lost Files” project from our archive, there was a lot of digging into drives. I know that for some songs, we could not find the stems; for some, we had to reproduce them; for others, we had to figure it out. So that was really just the process: having the shortlist, working on the songs, making sure the songs that sounded a little dated were brought up to date. I know Veen has a lot to say since he is the one that mastered the whole project and worked on the mixing of a lot of songs.
Veen: After we compiled all the songs we had, because there were a couple of other records, but these ones were the first ones we got ready and cleared. There was a draft of 8-9 songs, and then we just picked out a project from them, obviously choosing songs we could clear as well from featured artists and their teams. After that, we completed all the records that needed completing, which was like one or two, then we just started rolling out the project, finishing up the sounds and all the plans in place.
What was the process for choosing the vocal artists for your project?
Johnson IP: Our first shortlist had a lot more artists, and we kind of just decided what we wanted to do. Over the course of 44DB, we have worked with a lot of people, so we wanted to keep that same vibe. That was what we were going for during artist selection. As you can see, we had Dabira, Temë, and these are the people we are currently bringing up, developing, and making music with. Babbz is family; KD is also with us. Yung D3mz as well I met him during lockdown and we linked up in Ghana. Tochi as well, the president has to be on the track.
Did any members of the production team contribute vocals to the project?
Trill: Tochi was the only producer from our group that laid vocals on the project.
How does it feel to finally release your project?
Trill: When we dropped this project, Dr. Fuse (@drfuse000 on Twitter) tagged us and he was like, ‘you guys really dropped’… But for real, dropping a project is not easy.
Veen: And the love, bro, the love.
Trill: People don’t see behind the scenes; guys think we are just producers chilling. There was a lot of documenting, meetings, lots of calls. Thankfully, we were able to partner everything as a family. There was a lot of work behind the scenes and we are really proud of how it is doing. We did 30k streams in a week and it’s still going, all independent. And we’re not doing it with any big artists; we are just pushing it from the young boys that we see, that we hear on Twitter. It’s just poetic.
Johnson IP: For real, it’s all God. The love has been real.
Malik Bawa: A lot of people actually posted up, sent me screenshots of them listening, videos, and more. And many people also discovered the artists that we put on in the project.
Johnson IP: That’s one thing about good music.
Malik Bawa: True.
Trill: Each song has its own mood, its own feel—’National Anthem’, ‘Tune In’, and all.
Malik Bawa: No cap.
Now that ‘Chapter 44: Lost Files’ has been released, what does it represent for your collective?
Trill: It’s our gift to the world, based on the fact that we know it’s good music, we know it is fire, we know it is something the world hasn’t heard of, because most of the artists are new and listeners probably wouldn’t have heard of them. This will be their first time hearing artists like Temë and Dabira. So, we are trying to show our range, show that we are here to stay, that we are here to shake things up. We want to show that we are a powerhouse, literally the mitochondria of the Nigerian music industry.
Malik Bawa: Word!
Can we anticipate more projects from you following ‘Chapter 44: Lost Files’?
Veen: Most definitely.
Trill: Individually and as a collective.
Malik Bawa: We are lockdown loaded!
Johnson IP: Omo, expect plenty of drops!
Are you considering a mini-tour to promote your project?
Johnson IP: As of now, we don’t, but we’ve had some talks with some university-related activities. I won’t say much on that; let’s see how it goes.
Trill: We are independent and looking forward to giving our supporters something in the future. We did a collaboration with Rehash on Sunday (14th of April 2024) that was really nice. It was like a meet and greet, where we met people who love our music and people who had heard about us on the internet and social media. Seeing them in person was really nice.
That is the first of many, by God’s grace. As we continue to expand and grow, we are going to do something bigger and better for our supporters.
How are each of you managing your individual solo productions?
Trill: I think everyone is cooking. Tochi has drops coming up, Justin has drops coming up, Veen too.
Johnson IP: I can’t lie, a good 90% of the collective is dropping this year, hopefully, we get 70% of them to drop. We are active.
Which track from the project stands out as your favorite?
Tochi Bedford: For sure, ‘Tune It’. I actually made it separately from the project, and then it made it onto the project. It’s really nice to hear the single stand out through it.
I also like ‘National Anthem’, especially because Temë is on there.
So those are my two favorite records on the project.
Trill: I go with ‘My Mind’, ‘National Anthem’, ‘Tune In’… every single is a hit, meh! Shout out to Baddo!
The project is just beautiful.
Johnson IP: Right now, I’m on ‘National Anthem’. Last week I was on ‘My Mind’ and ‘Tune In’.
Malik Bawa: I think everyone likes ‘All Of It’; that’s one of my favorites. Mine are ‘All Of It’, ‘My Mind’, and ‘Full Moon’.
John: Mine are ‘All Of It’, ‘My Mind’, and ‘Full Moon’.
Veen: Mine are ‘National Anthem’, ‘Full Moon’, and ‘My Mind’. They are all good songs.
Is there a possibility of a sequel to ‘Chapter 44: Lost File’?
Trill: That’s a good question.
Johnson IP: That’s a very good question.
No promises yet, watch out.
Are there any plans to collaborate with mainstream artists in the future?
Eventually! Maybe when we are doing an album.
Malik Bawa: And if it happens organically, that’s the best way because we would encounter fewer issues clearing it.
Johnson IP: To be honest, I am fired up working with our people. All love for everyone still.
Trill: Right now, the goal is to develop new artists, show the world the people that are not really known, and just give them a platform.
Johnson IP: Because we have gotten here by just building with people, so what is the harm in building with a little bit more?
What’s the atmosphere like during your studio sessions?
It’s always crazy, work and some Bullet drinks by the side. Shout out to Bullet!
Veen: Exciting.
Trill: Exciting.
Malik Bawa: Definitely exciting.
Johnson IP: Unreal! Because too many smart people should not be in a room together, it’s scary!
What is your preferred Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)?
Johnson IP: You want to start a marital war, abi? (laughs)
Johnson IP: It’s FL Studio, na.
Trill: FL Studio, na.
Johnson: Logic for recording.
Trill: Even for recording, FL.
Johnson IP: Ableton for when I am bored.
Malik Bawa: Ableton for everything.
Are there any producers currently impressing you?
Tochi Bedford: Bnyx.
Trill: Sarz, Metro Boomin.
Johnson: Arie, Gbots, Folu, London, KC Freeley, Sochee, and them boys.
Veen: Lekka Beats, Bnyx, shout out to John Wav and Trill too.
Beyond software DAWs, which musical instruments do you enjoy playing?
Trill: Piano and drums. I used to drum in church, don’t play!
Malik Bawa: I know how to play the piano and a little bit of guitar.
Johnson: I like the guitar and the piano; I’m actually learning how to play the piano.
Malik Bawa: I think Jesse really knows how to play the guitar.
Johnson: Yeah, he knows how to play a bunch of instruments.
Tochi Bedford: In my case, I’m picking up the guitar as well, and I know how to play the keyboard.
Trill: I can play the recorder too.
Malik Bawa: If it counts, I can play the recorder too.
Tochi, with your vocals being featured on the project, do you plan to continue singing?
Tochi Bedford: Oh, I’ve been singing, bro. I have three EPs out, and I’ve got one coming within the next few months. I’ve quite a few things dropping this year.
What inspires you all when creating beats and mixing tracks?
Trill: For inspiration, I will just say my love for music. I just try to go hard every time I’m producing, anything I am doing related to music. I just go hard or go home, and I don’t want to go home.
Johnson IP: There is no home to go back to (laughs).
Johnson IP: For me, it’s just things around me and sometimes just how I feel that week or that day. It’s really a go hard or go home thing. Lucky for me, I’m surrounded by family that are doing the same thing with me at the same level and more.
Malik Bawa: It depends, I could just hear something and think, ‘let me make something’. It’s random, honestly, very random.
What are your thoughts on the role of sampling in the Nigerian music scene?
Trill: We have been flipping, like on one of Wani’s tracks. But the way I see it, if people hear you sample a record in Nigeria, the internet will want to hold your neck, saying things like, ‘Oh, it is not original,’ blah blah blah. But I am really cool with sampling because I love sampling.
Malik Bawa: Sampling is alright, man. Also, I get it, because people in Nigeria don’t usually have access to clear records. For example, if I want to sample a record right now, I don’t know who to go to, to clear it, like most of the old Nigerian songs don’t have proper documentation. This is just one of the creative stigmas around sampling here in Nigeria.
Johnson IP: I feel like as much as people say that guys don’t go and clear the record, I also feel like a lot of times the people that would clear the record aren’t even exactly open until the song blows up.
Malik Bawa: There was a recent situation where we tried to clear a song, and we reached out to the person, and the person actually said ‘No,’ like ‘go make your own song.’
Veen: Just to add, we are not really used to sampling in Nigeria, due to a lack of structure and documentation. The Western industry has been doing it right from time; it’s like a circle because the people in the 70s sampled people from the 60s, and so on. But in Nigeria, if you do that, it’s like you can’t make something on your own, not knowing that music is just recycled.
Does the collective 44DB find itself associated with the Alte scene?
Johnson IP: At this point, if we are Alte, it’s a go. As long as the music is good, they should stream and come out of their houses (lol).
Veen: I think we have been around long enough to have worked with a body of Alte artists, and we are like a big part of their trajectory to where they are right now, so a lot of people just naturally associate us with them. But we are doing our own thing!
Tochi: I f*ck with the Alte scene, shout out to everybody.
As trailblazers in Nigeria, are there any other producer collectives or solo producers you admire?
Johnson IP: I like Southside, 808 Mafia, Nick Mira.
Trill: Bnyx’s collective, F1lth, Opium guys, Internet Money.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be?
Trill Xoe: Right now, it’s Rema. I keep saying that to everyone. Maybe Kanye too and Gunna.
Johnson IP: I want to work with Rema. I would have loved to work with Juice Wrld. I would also love to work with Zoocci Coke Dope.
Veen: I would like to work with Yeat, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage… for now.
Johnson IP: A Yeat and Tochi song would go so hard.
Tochi: Actually true!
Trill: Just watch, men, that Yeat and Tochi is gonna happen!
Johnson IP: Everything has been written!
Do you have any advice for aspiring beat makers and producers?
Trill: Don’t stop making beats, don’t stop, keep bombing.
Malik Bawa: Work with people around you, try and build, carry your guys along.
Johnson IP: Take up space, as much as you can.
Is there any message you all have for the world?
Big shoutout to 49th Street for showing love. Shoutout to y’all, y’all have been supportive.
Listen to ‘Chapter 44: Lost Files’ by 44DB here —