Def Jam Recordings North Africa
Universal Music Group's Def Jam label division for the Maghreb, headquartered in Casablanca, Morocco, since June 2026.
- Based in
- Casablanca, Morocco
- Founded
- 2026
- Website
- universalmusicmena.com
Def Jam Recordings North Africa is a Universal Music Group label division headquartered in Casablanca, Morocco, launched on 10 June 2026 to cover the Maghreb region. It sits under Universal Music Morocco and North Africa, which itself reports into Universal Music Group MENA.
The division is led by Sylvain Mahy as Managing Director of Universal Music Group Morocco and North Africa, reporting to Patrick Boulos, CEO of Universal Music Group MENA, with Def Jam Recordings’ global chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun overseeing the brand. It is wholly owned by Universal Music Group.
Its remit covers talent acquisition, artist development and distribution across Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania. At launch its roster included the Moroccan artist Najm alongside newcomers SHR and Aujiss, with production partnerships involving Oldygothesound, Bayadis and Nouvo. UMG cited IFPI data showing MENA recorded-music revenue grew 15.2% in 2025, among the fastest of any region globally.
