The Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) boss Ezekiel Mutua has criticised the move by Kenyans to unsubscribe from Sauti Sol’s YouTube channel and unfollow them on social media.
This follows a backlash by Kenyans against the afro-pop band for claiming payment for their material used by Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance Coalition during the unveiling of the outfit’s presidential running mate Martha Karua.
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Mutua termed the mass action as a juvenile reaction in a statement he issued via his social media accounts on Thursday.
“We may have differences of opinion, but unsubscribing from @sautisol YouTube channel is juvenile reaction,” Mutua said.
He urged Kenyans who unsubscribed from the Sauti Sol’s YouTube channel to subscribe once again because the band remains one of the county’s greatest bands.
At the same time, Mutua urged Kenyans to avoid being blinded by politics that border hatred.
“Rudini haraka. Sauti Sol remains one of our greatest bands in Kenya’s history and we must not be blinded by politics to the point of hate,” He urged.
In the same breath, Mutua advises the band that they should have grasped that moment and used the adaptation of their “Extravaganza” song to create another great historical moment of the 'Unbwogable variety.
“And on a brighter note, Sauti Sol should have used the adaptation of 'Extravaganza' by Azimio to create an “Unbwogable” moment like Gidi Gidi Maji Maji did in 2002,” Mutua advised.
In 2002, a song entitled “Unbwogable” by a Kenyan hip hop duo GidigidiMajimaji comprising Maji Maji (Julius Owino) and Gidi Gidi (Joseph Oyoo) was adopted as an anthem for Mwai Kibaki's victorious presidential election campaign.
Mutua also opined it was better to have local music being played during big political events instead of foreign songs and mentioned Sauti Sol’s ‘Extravaganza’ and a song with a controversial title ’Sipangwingwi’.
"Some moments come once in a lifetime. In any case, is it not a great thing to see our local music being played during these big political events? I would rather have “Extravaganza” and “Sipangwingwi” being played in these political rallies by our top politicians than foreign songs!"