Music producer JL SA says he was never paid for his work on Hamba Juba, a 2023 track that is a collaboration between himself, Lady Amar, Murumba Pitch and Cici
Music manager and label owner Sfiso Ndlovu has faced social media backlash after telling distraught Hamba Juba producer JL SA that he “ate” his share of the compensation.
JL first revealed in a TikTok video last month that he was never paid for his work on the hit track.
“I produced the song from scratch; this is my work, my own production, but I never got a cent for it,” he said.
The producer was later invited to Piano Pulse, a podcast hosted by Sfiso.
In an episode shared on Tuesday, JL broke down after Sfiso told him he had taken the money.
“One day I’m going to come back here and show receipts that the boy got paid… because that money is no longer there – I ate it, and that’s honest,” Sfiso said.
He added that if the song had not been blocked, he could have paid JL.
On the same platform a few days ago, Sfiso claimed that singer Cici, who performs the vocals on the track, had taken him to court over additional royalties, which resulted in the royalties being withheld.
However, he also admitted that he had not initially paid JL because he wanted to teach him a lesson.
“The reason why I did not pay JL at the time was because bengifuna ukumnyisa (I wanted to teach him a lesson) — because he breached my contract, and I know the law,” he said.
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Snippets of the interview have since gone viral, with many social media users sharing their opinions on the matter.
Here are a few reactions from X (formerly Twitter).
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