In a recent interview with Kwame Dadzie on Joy FM’s Twitter Spaces, Baba Sadiq a renowned figure in the music industry, shared his thoughts on Lasmid’s departure from Kaywa’s Highly Spiritual Music record label. Sadiq expressed his belief that the decision for Kaywa to enter into the deal with Lasmid after the artiste’s win in the 2019 MTN Hitmaker competition was not a good move.
“It was also not a good one [deal] for Kaywa to opt for,” Sadiq stated. However, he acknowledged that many talents are nurtured in a similar manner, where talent managers have faith in them and groom them until they achieve success. Sadiq speculated that Kaywa might have chosen to sign Lasmid based on his faith in the artiste’s potential.
Kaywa recently revealed that he did not have a contract with Lasmid. When he intended to officially sign him, Lasmid’s Nigerian lawyer presented certain demands that Kaywa couldn’t fulfill, leading to their parting ways. Kaywa explained that he invested several years in promoting Lasmid’s music and achieved success with his hit track “Friday Night,” which was the fourth song released under the label. However, it was after the release of Lasmid’s second hit, “Running,” that they decided to go their separate ways.
“If I begin to talk about what the investment is, you would know that we really went deep. We had a conversation, and then we had to move to our next level. Then suddenly, the conversation we had was sealed, was not written, but it was sealed with understanding, both of us with evidence. Suddenly the narrative changes because now he’s become big and he’s been influenced by seeing people in our circle,” Kaywa explained during an interview with KMJ on Prime Morning.
On Joy Entertainment Unpacked on July 5, 2023, Baba Sadiq highlighted that issues like this have caused many individuals to lose interest in investing in the creative industry. He stated that in the current market, investing in the music industry is often seen as a thankless job. Many potential investors prefer other avenues such as foreign exchange trading, where they can potentially make more significant profits in a shorter period.
Meanwhile, Kaywa clarified in an interview on Hitz FM that although he owns the masters of the songs he produced for his artistes, they are still permitted to perform them. This statement implies that despite Lasmid’s departure from the label, he retains the rights to perform the tracks produced during his time under Highly Spiritual Music.
The exit of Lasmid from Kaywa’s Highly Spiritual Music record label has sparked discussions about the dynamics of artist-label relationships and the challenges faced by investors in the creative industry. As the music industry continues to evolve, it is crucial for stakeholders to find sustainable models that can foster healthy collaborations and encourage investments to support the growth and development of talented artists.
