Cameroonian singer Gasha, real name Gah-Ndo Ashuembom Amabo, has urged Eddy Kenzo to come forward and defend himself against her accusations of selfishly reaping royalties from her project “Chill”.
The 33-year-old singer claims Kenzo has been eating the fruit of her labor for close to a decade after working on a music project together dubbed “Chill” in 2015 and not paying the royalties from it.
Gasha claims spending over USD 2,000 on making the project; from the audio production, video, and promotion. The song was then uploaded on Eddy Kenzo’s YouTube channel as it had a bigger audience, something both artists agreed upon mutually.
9 years later, the song has garnered 5.1 million YouTube views but Gasha claims she has never received royalties from the project. She accuses Kenzo of claiming ownership of the project and uploading it on all his other accounts across different music streaming platforms, on top of including it in one of his albums.
Via social media, Gasha takes responsibility for not signing any official document to confirm payment of the USD 2,000. She advises other artists never to make similar mistakes.
She asks Kenzo to publicly defend his stand on why he decided to take over the full rights of the music project selfishly and commands him to hand over everything that belongs to her.
I accept my responsibility in not insisting that Eddy should sign something after we handed him 2000 dollars at the studio. Facts I should have. But that brother was by himself and made it clear he dealt with his things by himself when I asked about his team. He didn’t write English and had some trouble reading English too.
Not an insult. Not every country is assimilated, some countries first language is their natural language not English.
When my partner said we should get a document, I told him English isn’t this brothers first language he’s here alone and has great plans, why should we kill his creative energy forcing an English document on him when he’s alone? Which made perfect sense at the time. BUT to my younger ones even if someone speaks Xoxa, Indian, Zulu, bulu, Bafut, follow up before or after to have the document translated in their language and sent to them. So if the bad faith is premeditated, you have something to hold.
Also, there are many people who have profited from verbal deals. Verbal deals have also helped me a lot in my career.
I have worked with Pazzo, Tibu, many producers, Nkeng Stephens on verbal deals. And I’m glad because when I couldn’t keep up with my consistency, I didn’t get in any trouble because they maintained the heart they had in the beginning.
We are Africans if we must sign to do EVERYTHING and can’t assist one another looking at our true level, when will we reach the level of the global market? With the realities we face here which are so different from theirs?
BUT THIS SHALL NEVER EXCUSE HIM REPLACING MY NAME WITH HIS, selling on every platform (we never agreed on that) I got no heads up, and was asked to “stay agreed on that) I got no heads up, and was asked to “stay humble” by his management when I reached out to straighten it.
Let’s say I was simply naive, does that justify his actions?
My music has been exploited over the years by many people and companies and we are working on all that, but no one ever removed my name from my own song, to replace it with theirs and stream on every platform. I went with my beat, wrote my song n chorus, he freestyled his verse. So since he wasn’t that keen on helping an African sister, let him hand over everything that belongs to me and we shall send him whatever percentage he should normally get.
Kenzo we both in our hearts know what we agreed. And if u keep Insisting I’m lying, make a move against my “lies”.
Gasha via Facebook
Josh Ruby is an Editor with high interest and knowledge in the Ugandan entertainment space, an industry he has been actively part of since 2010. Leads to breaking stories are welcome! More by Josh Ruby