Where is the money? Hamba Juba hitmakers speak out on royalty woes

by Nomonde Simelane

DJ Lady Amar and JL SA have taken to their respective social media pages to reveal that they have not received any compensation for their contributions to the Hamba Juba smash hit, begging the question: What is going on in the amapiano industry?

Amapiano has quickly become a window to South Africa’s vibrant culture for the rest of the world. The genre is a classic example of an organic come-up; it started as a regional genre that was popular in certain townships and has gone on to become one of the more popular genres in the global music space. This has resulted in plenty of amapiano-infused sounds being adopted into other genres and styles, propelling Mzansi as one of the biggest pop culture hubs at the moment.

This has resulted in the amapiano space becoming a distinct entity, somewhat separate from the rest of South Africa’s music industry. Although this has provided numerous opportunities, it has also proven to be a brutal space where aligning with the wrong people can have dire consequences, especially for emerging artists desperately seeking a breakthrough.

Although relatively young, the industry has garnered a negative reputation of exploitation, with notable figures such as DJ Maphorisa unofficially becoming the face, as more and more artists come out with anecdotes of their own pertaining to unpaid royalties.

Recently, Biri Marung hitmaker G Mashego took to his social media to reveal that not only was he left stranded in Nigeria with no way to return home, but also that he had not received any royalties for the viral song.

Just as listeners and friends of the industry were digesting this, JL SA and Lady Amar have also come out to reveal that they have not gotten any compensation for the work they did on Hamba Juba, despite the song’s immense success. With both artists exposing this matter, listeners have turned their attention to Cici and Murumba Pitch for answers regarding who has the money, as they are the two remaining artists on the song.

Also see: Young Stunna comes to Maphorisa’s defence following more royalty feuds