DJ and producer Sobzeen, real name Zakhele Mbuyisa, 28, is claiming to be the creative mastermind behind two-time platinum-selling hits Mali, Masithokoze, and Selimathunzi, all released by DJ and producer Stokie, real name Setoki Mbatha.
The songs were produced while he frequented DJ Stokie’s studio three years ago. DJ Sobzeen met DJ Stokie, 42, over the period through his manager. They immediately started making music together.
“I would hang out at the studio and make beats. At the time, I was trying to show my skills. And I never thought that the music would be taken and I would not be credited,” DJ Sobzeen told Sunday World.
Owed about R2.4m in royalties
DJ Sobzeen said he produced most of the massive hits. However, he has not been properly credited or paid his fair share for the music. He alleged that DJ Stokie owes him an estimated R2.4-million in royalties.
“When I worked on the song Masithokoze, I purely did it for the love of music. Not for money,” Sobzeen vented to Sunday World.
“I found out that when streams are converted to money, 28 million streams for that song only on Spotify is almost R2.4-million.”
When he made the music, Sobzeen said there was no formal agreement between him and DJ Stokie.
Never signed contracts
“I never signed anything for all the songs I did. I can imagine how it’s performing on other digital platforms, such as Apple Music and others. And I recently got him to sing. They insisted on 15%, which can amount to R360, 000 without deductions for Spotify alone. There’s still YouTube also, and other platforms, and there are still four more hit songs that I never got paid for.”
Still slightly bitter about the alleged exploitation, Sobzeen says the incident has made him cautious about signing contracts without legal advice and working on music before putting pen on paper.”
“His actions made me realise that my career, especially the music business, is in my hands,” DJ Sobzeen said.
“I learned not to invest too much in other people’s success. He put my name in some of the songs. It attracted a small fan base but does not equate to funds.”
DJ Sobzeen is currently signed with a new record label, Solid Sound. Under it, he released his 11-track album, titled iThemba Lam, on Friday, August 8.
“This album is me healing from the past. It is a gospel and amapiano medley of sounds. Very spiritual, uplifting, and me pouring out the pain from what I went through.”
New music
In the new album, Sobzeen still features DJ Stokie in the song, Mang’Dakiwe.
“I worked with him, I can’t exactly throw the songs away. It’s still my creative right despite everything that has happened.”
When asked about the allegations, DJ Stokie said: “The matter with Sobzeen was resolved long ago.”
