Otega O
TechInAfrica – Def Jam is a product of Universal Music Group, a renounced music company founded in 1934. The company develops, markets, sells, and distributes recorded music.
Not long ago, Def Jam South East Asia was born. It was the brainchild of Universal Music Group. Now the music company is ready to announce its latest expansion in the African continent called Def Jam Africa.
This new division will be headquartered in two countries, South Africa (Johannesburg) and Nigeria (Lagos). Def Jam Africa’s focus will be Afrobeats, hip-hop and trap talent in the African continent. Report from these regions will be sent to Sipho Dlamini, the Universal Music Sub-Saharan and South African managing director.
In the last couple of years, some of the major labels have invested heavily in Africa. Their business models were to offer market streaming services and sign promising talents in the region. Impressively, Universal now has numerous offices in Africa, such as Nigeria, South Africa, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Morocco, Kenya, and Cameroon. But it seems things are starting to get better for the company just recently. It is now shaping its business to create a unique brand identity.
There is hope that Def Jam Africa can bring a lot of changes to the company, music scene, and the continent. Universal Music in the United States of America has got various labels. These include Interscope, Republic, Capitol, and Def Jam. The good thing is they can all define their unique DNA, said Sipho Dlamini.
Universal in Africa, according to Dlamini, has only been operating under diverse niches such as dance, hip-hop, gospel, and jazz. However, Def Jam Africa plans to change all that. It will be an aspirational label where any kid who wishes to do hip-hop can say, “I want to join Def Jam Africa.”
