Barely a week after Amapiano sensation Yung Stunna put producer and woner of Simnandi Records, DJ Vaijane on blast for not paying him all his royalties and holding onto his plaques. The producer has put out a statement saying he too is a victim of Jaivane’s exploitation after not being credited for 12 songs in the new project, Onkgopotse.
In the statement, Smaki 08 disclosed he had produced, composed, and engineered 14 songs for the project – handling everything from vocal recordings to arrangement and mixing over the span of a year. Despite all the hard work, on 28 July, he was informed that his name would be omitted from the majority of the album’s credits. He added that the decision was made by the album’s distributor, who allegedly feared that it would not look “balanced” to have one producer dominate the tracklist. “There was no agreement signed, no consultation, and I was not given a chance to approve or reject this removal,” Smaki 08 wrote in his statement. He further stated that he has all project files, stems, and proof of authorship, and has now taken legal action in an effort to halt the album’s release until he is formally acknowledged.
This comes after Young Stunna opened up about her previous record label Simnandi Records not paying all his royalties. The Adiwele singer detailed how with all the ht songs they made, he is only receiving royalties for two songs and non of his plaques. “Never received my platinum plaques from Baxolele and Dlala Captain. I only get royalties for both these songs, only and there is a lot we released from Simnandi Records,” he said. “ When I tried to open up, fans said I must be grateful because they opened doors for me. Those songs are important to me, but I kept quiet and kept pushing.” He has since moved on and not holding grudges. “I am healthy now and made peace, chose forgiveness without anyone apologising. Sometimes it’s safe to speak out, sometimes you speak out only to get silenced and forgotten. I chose not to fight because I was taught silence is the best revenge.” Young Stunna went on to says he wishes his former team well and they must keep pushing. “Talent is endless.”
Simnandi Records is a South African record label focused on Amapiano music, known for its artists like DJ Jaivane and ATK MusiQ.
Bongi Sikelo 