In the recent episode of YouTube vlog Podcats and Chill, presenters MacG, Ghost Lady, and Sol Phenduka discussed how music producer Sanele Sithole, known as Sun El Musician was being accused of exploiting two producers working at his record label El World.
“SunEl does not make his music, apparently there are two coloured guys that make his music. Even Simmy’s whole album they did it,” said Mac G.
They alleged that the two producers had not been paid and are being used as “ghost producers.”
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MacG went gave call SunEL and put the allegations to him live on the podcast.
“I don’t have ghost producers, but I have guys I have signed from the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape. They make songs for themselves and songs for the artists. We are grooming them, they are not ready yet, ngizobafaka (I’ll introduce them) soon. I was working on their album,” said Sun El.
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Quizzed about who produces the music, Sun El said,
“Sometimes I finish the songs alone, sometimes they work on the song or add something to it. That’s how we get introduced to the system. The sound that you know is my sound.”
Not taking the accusations well, SunEl said he does not exploit his staff.
“It’s crazy how people interview you when you’re doing well, but soon as something like this comes up. It makes me mad, it bothers me. I am all about uplifting and keeping my things clean. I really just want to help people get where they want to be.”
Nhlamulo ‘Nota’ Baloyi supported the claims that SunEl uses “ghost producers” on social media in a post titled, ‘SunEl stop exploiting composers.’
“Having been burnt by this man before I know that he’s just doing what he feels was done to him. Exploiting up and coming composers and passing their work off as his own. The cycle needs to end,” wrote Nota.
“I wish more artists could follow in the footsteps of DJ Maphorisa and actually empower the artists they collaborate with and fairly compensate those they develop. Claudio and Kenza deserve better. They carried ElWorld with their compositions and have nothing to show for it.”
Nota went to say that labels should not sign artists for their personal gain.
“Don’t sign artists to take their sound and bring it to market as your own thus killing their career in its infancy. Established artists need to stop exploiting up coming artists. S/O to @podcastwithmacg for exposing the fraud!”
Watch the podcast here.