“I invented Detty December. It’s not even controversial. It’s just fact” – Mr Eazi

Arguably, the most used word towards the end of the year, especially in Nigerian and African pop culture, is “Detty December.” It basically the partying that occurs in the month of December, to celebrate the end of the year, and the beginning of a new one.

However, for a moment, have you ever thought where the term “Detty December” came from? Mr Eazi says he invented it.

In 2016, Mr Eazi released a track titled “Detty Yasef.” It was one of the songs that highlighted his move to Nigeria after building a fanbase in Ghana. When he was getting ready to headline a concert in Lagos, it was initially dubbed “The Happy Boy Concert,” but since it was in the month of December and he had just released Detty Yasef (ft. Falz), he decided to hashtag the concert “Detty December.” And since then, the term has been appropriated and used widely by Nigerians and Ghanaians. Most especially, it’s common amongst Nigerian IJGBs (I Just Got Back) – a term used to describe Nigerians in diaspora coming to spend the holiday in their home country.

In the second season of his podcast with his fiancee, Temi Otedola, “The How Far?” podcast, Mr Eazi revealed how he invented Detty December and how he got the term trademarked, making it officially his.

“I invented Detty December. It’s not even controversial. It’s just fact. In 2016, when I wanted to have a tour. I had called my tour The Happy Boy tour and then it was like in December, you dirty yourself, which means to enjoy and all. And I had that song Detty Yasef. Shootout to Falz. That was gonna be first my concert in Lagos, like headline concert. And I made a mil out of it. We did billboards everywhere and it was hashtagged Detty December, like dirty yourself, have fun, get drunk, chop life etcetera. So Detty December. But I think it has grown from that now to, it’s not personal. It’s just the mood for December. I will soon be sending my invoices to everybody that keeps using Detty December” Eazi said.

“You could have gotten it trademarked,” Temi said.

“I’ve gotten it trademarked”, Eazi responded.

“You have?”

“Yeah, I’ve gotten it trademarked.”

“So now you actually officially own the term detty December. Confirmed or denied?” Temi asked.

“I own the term Detty December but I might need to call my lawyer before we load this podcast to be sure again. But I’m sure in some countries, it’s trademarked already. That one I’m sure of.”

So, now you know who invented Detty December. It is just amazing how impactful culture can be. A trend that started in 2016 has become globally known.

Let us give credit to @mreazi for coining the phrase “Detty December”

Cultural impact >>

— D-Truce 🏖💨 (@Dusten_Truce) December 27, 2022