In the competitive scene that is the music industry, controversy and creativity are the only ways to remain relevant in the game.
However, in what could seem like a lack of creativity, some producers have been accused of being notorious for taking to less than agreeable ways to beat others to the chase, and usually, upcoming artistes fall prey to their con tactics as they are easy targets.
Via a Facebook post, reggae-dancehall artiste Buki outed producer Young Wallace for non-delivery of services seven months after their agreement.
“Seven months ago I paid the guy 45k for my video shoot. He took the cash and every time I call him he doesn’t pick up and he only texts back (that) he’s busy or he’s in a shoot. I told him to refund my cash back but he refused,” read the text in part.
While the producer does not deny receiving the Sh45,000 down payment for his collabo video, ‘logistics mishaps’, as he prefers to term the situation, have been the reason behind the delay with Buki complicating things.
“Just before we went into the initial shoot, Buki told me to cancel it because he wanted to do a shoot for a different song. This was at a time when we had finalised on a big chunk of the logistics, a huge inconvenience on my part,” Wallace explained.
An angry Wallace asked Buki to initiate a legal process and present all the evidence he has in court, if he really felt aggrieved.
This has not been the first allegation against the producer, who always resorts to the same sure-fire response every time: Initiate a legal process and present evidence in court.
While some may argue that this is the right way to go, in Kenya it is easy to take advantage of the slow judicial process and most artistes lack financial muscle.
Sakata Dance group champions, Everlast recently accused him of defrauding them of Sh150,000, to shoot their debut video, Stamina, a collabo featuring Wyre.
Confused on the way forward back then the group decided to take a break from music and only returned recently with another collabo Gudi Gudi featuring Rapdamu and Kristoff.
“It is a ghastly feeling that we do not wish to rekindle,” said Everlast of the experience. Young Wallace has denied the allegations and termed it a ploy to tarnish his name and career through bad press.
“I don’t understand the accusations and those accusing me have never taken a step of taking any action against me through the right channel instead of dragging my name in the mud,” he said.
It was the same script but different cast for Paulo of Ghipuka who claims they were frustrated by Producer Visita, formerly of Grandpa.
For two years they played a cat-and-mouse game with Paulo who claims that Visita demanded a further Sh7,000 promising to promote their music and ensure that it is got airplay on radio.
An adamant Visita will have none of this; he too blames his enemies who he says are out to finish him.
“I have nothing much to say considering that every good thing I do is manipulated and used against me. Truth is, why wait until now to accuse me while they failed to do so when I worked at Grandpa?”
Samchizi, Kisumu-based artiste Kay C and Anushka from Berlin, who after being taken round for months opted to go back to her country leaving behind the entire project, Mavo and Dala from Mombasa are just but a few artistes who have made similar allegations against Visita.
When three months down the line gospel artiste L-Jay Maasai got tired of chasing his producer, whom he says he paid Sh150,000 for the video Tapana, he reported the matter to the police.
The producer, whom he refuses to name, was arrested and asked to bring his working tools to the station where he would work on the video to its completion.
“Four hours later, he was done with the editing and I was given my video. However, I did not care much for the work done and I asked him not to release the video. I found another producer to redo it,” says the Groove Award winner.
A few years back the beat to the song Street Hustler by Cannibal and Sharama was said to have been initially mastered for Mombasa super group Makeke Family by Baby Omar of Tabasamu Records.
Following their fallout, Makeke took matters in their own hands and released an X-rated diss-track with the same beat. Baby Omar has since closed shop and moved oversees.
Makeke are unreachable for comment, with rumours doing the rounds that heavy abuse of drugs has taken a toll on them and none of them keeps a phone.
An agitated Bahati early last year took it to Facebook to condemn Willy Paul for allegedly stealing his songs. He also claimed that the singer has previously taken two of his songs, by bribing producers.
“I recorded a song with Teddy B you went listened and undercover you recorded the same song, same message, same Producer even shamelessly same TITLE :: ?#MAPENZI,” wrote Bahati in a Facebook post.
“Already you have stolen my Next NEW song that am supposed to release ?#MARIA from STILL ALIVE STUDIOS and RE . RECORDED it with a different TITLE ?#SALIMA and rushing to release it next Month b4 I release mine... NDUGU YANGU... TUMEOKOKA KWELI?????”
Bahati went on to threaten to sue Teddy B. This would not be the first time Willy Paul has been embroiled in arguments and legal battles over his songs.
In recent years he has been accused of stealing other artistes’ creations and claiming them as his own.
According to Tyga, a producer who has been on the receiving end of accusations himself, not all of these accusations hold true
“Upcoming artistes are like eggs and need to be handled with care since they are always quick to slip, fall off and end up pointing accusing fingers at others.
It is high time they realized that tarnishing our names through bad press or social media does not add any value to their lives or prevent us from going about our daily duties.
It is high time we respect each other and work together towards building a better Kenya,” he opines.
