Award winning Zambian Hip-hop star Slap D has taken to social media to castigate organisers of this year’s Zambia International Trade Fair in Ndola for offering to pay him and his band K 3,000 per show.
Posting on his Facebook page, Slap D said he would rather spend the two days teaching his daughter how to ride a bicycle than perform for K 3,000.
Below is Slap D’s posting
Here’s a classic! Normally I wouldn’t do this but The Trade Fair Society are offering K3,000 a show for me and my team to travel to Ndola City, lodge ourselves there for 2 days, provide your ourselves with food & bevs.
After all expenses we would be making K600 to be split up 5 ways from each performance.
They have added that “all the other artists are getting the same amount” which is why they cannot up on my performance fees.
I politely told them I will pass and most likely spend the two days teaching my daughter how to ride her bike.
They are also inviting an international act to perform t for the same event (so I hear). I cannot say how much they are paying them because I don’t know. What I know is that wherever they are coming from, their flights alone will cost more than our performance fees.
I post this not to complain (seeing as my colleagues are comfortable with this). I post this to make it clear to all promoters across Zambia that if you are going to consider me to provide this service, let it be an amount worth doing the job for. I understand our economy is alil complicated but if you can afford flying in a team of other musicians, my fees should not be a problem.
Lastly, I hope my fans understand how much work is put in to make all of you happy. How much time it takes to put out music that is well produced,mixed & mastered and will rep Zambia for a long time. The management, videos and airplay on international platforms costs a lot.
If we are going to compete with the Sarkodies, Diamonds, AKAs and many others, it will take more than K3000 from our own people to do that. Don’t get it twisted, I do alot of Charity work around but if it’s business deal, let’s keep it that way.
Shi Nandi.
Here is a guy who knows his worth! Ba show society are bunch of wicked people who can’t appreciate local talent. K3000?? Really? How much would transport cost for him and his team to travel to the CB? Food and Lodging? What about actual payment for their talent? People be serious and appreciate what we have.
So he also understands Lungu and his kaponyas have damaged the economy which now more favorable to foreigners than locals. Please tell your Danny Crazy to stop advocating and singing for PF and be more like Pilato – stand for what is right. Finally, if you can join Pilato so that right president (HH) is elected next year so that you guys can be paid your worth and locals can be favoured. Zambians can be proud to Zambians in their own country that Lungu has mortgaged at the expense of retaining power
Ba Slap D bakaamba, you’re dealing with the laws of Graduation and Opportunity Cost here. If suddenly you cannot take offers of business which were seemingly attractive just a few years back it means you have graduated into a more lucrative notch and should therefore pass the mantle to other upcoming artistes who may desperately jump at the opportunity thereby you contributing to promote musical talent in the country
He is speaking for the voiceless. Take that into account.
Desperately, thats where the problem lies, Desperately. Society should not allow the exploitation of those who are desperate
K3000? Awe mukwai bushe balefwaya uwakupyanga pa stage nangula uwaku performer? Ba Trade Fair be serious. Respect other people’s professions
wanjipaya iwe! ati uwaku pyanga haha…Ba trade fair should be serious, iyi music industry is very brutal, these guys spend days making a song that plays for 3 minutes only! appreciate that we have such talent, 3000, really????..thats the problem with Zambia, we will pay 10000 for a white man to do anything he can on stage and only pay 3000 for REAL local talent..lets change how we treat our own..
And here I was thinking I should attend this Trade fair thing if indeed they are handing out free groundnuts.
Hi Slap D or is it ba Mwila Musonda I went through a few of your music and ‘Waumfwa’ seemed to make a lot of sense. However, everything I listened to seemed to be the usual zambian music rubbish with one baseline. It did not take time for me to know and understand why your music was as you claim so under-priced. Minus waumfwa your music is not even worth a ngwee. the sow society was even very polite to offer you K3000 per show. You see baice, you must take music very seriously. The usual nonsense can’t cut it. Don’t synthesize/sample music. Play real instruments. Your audience want to see talent through instruments. Iyo music yabupuba abantu tabaifwaya. Do you think if Mutukudzi and you are both playing in town at different venues you could have people coming to your show?
@Peter you should be banned from putting comments here! I wouldn’t be surprised if your father works in the Trade Fair grounds or is a ‘gateman’. As much as l don’t know SlapD’s music, he cuts across as a person who know what he wants in life. Helping his daughter ride her bicycle- PRICELESS!