Big Zulu must be kicking himself in frustration after he allowed his protege Lwah Ndlunkulu to collaborate with Mthandeni “Igcokama Elisha” Manqele on hit song Paris for free.
Manqele and Lwah Ndlunkulu are hommies from Hlabisa in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
The rapper and Nkabi Records owner made this startling admission to Sunday World, saying there was no formal agreement between him and Manqele when he asked to feature Lwah Ndlunkulu in the song.
Lwah Ndlunkulu is signed under the record label and it seems Big Zulu did not envisage the song to blow up.
Many believe it should have won the Ukhozi FM Song of the Year Song competition.
It reached platinum status, garnered more than 10-million YouTube views and over 5-million streams on Spotify.
Platinum status
On December 7, Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA) awarded the duo with a certified platinum plaque.
Despite the success of the single, Big Zulu has revealed that he has not received a cent from Manqele for the hit song.
“Sometimes as artists we do each other favours for the sake of brotherhood and unity. Now it seems Mthandeni is not keen to work with Lwah Ndlunkulu again because of the runaway success of the song,” said the Imali Eningi hitmaker.
“What can we do? I am happy for Lwah Ndlunkulu anyway, because her rise and success reflects the hard work we put in behind the scenes at Nkabi Records.”
No-show at celebrations
Big Zulu also defended Lwah Ndlunkulu for not attending the Paris Song of The Year celebration event at Mdletsheni in Hlabisa at the weekend.
Scores of fans were left disappointed with the musician’s no-show since they eagerly wanted to appreciate and interact with the two singers when they perform the hit song in front of them.
The fans flooded Lwah Ndlunkulu’s Instagram page asking why she was not in the line-up.
Responding to questions, she posted a video on social media saying: “I see you are all breathing down my neck asking why I am not at Mdletsheni.
“To put you out of your misery, I called Mthandeni several times but he would not answer my calls. Instead, his phone was picked up by his dancers.
“So, I can’t just up and go to an event to perform for mahala [for free]. Remember [that] I am signed under Nkabi Records and there are protocols to be observed.”
