- Makadem says he was not allowed to release the rendition before paying JB Maina.
Image: Courtesy
Kenyan world music star Makadem paid the Kikuyu Mugithi legend Jb Maina a hundred thousand to release a rendition of his song 'Tiga Kumute' (Stop divorcing her).
Jb's song was released about a decade ago the message in it is a man being pleaded not to divorce a lady he was in love with because she already had a child out of wedlock.
Well, in 2008, Makadem released a rendition of the song but with cultural and political significance.
His single ‘Mogidhi Kona Kona’ is a melting pot of sounds and rhythms from the Kikuyu and Luo tribes, which are bitter political rivals. It bridges the rift that is often instigated by tribal politics.
"At first I did the song without him knowing then when he discovered he said I had to pay him," Makadem told Word Is on Friday.
"I dear recorded it then in ketebul music engineered by general Onyx but when I went to Denmark in 2011 I recorded it live with Kenyan Congolese and Cuban musiciansMakadem could not release the song to media because he had to settle with JB Maina first which he finally did.
"Last year, I was asked to perform the song in Meru and because the director wanted a handshake song, he agreed we pay JB.
Why did he settle on the song?"After the 2008 general elections skirmishes, I felt it was better to use something that is more of actions than asking people to live with their brothers peacefully. I wanted to do something that people would look at and feel like they were the ones doing it," he said.
During that time the version of the song 'Tiga Kumute' was done by Salim Junior and was being aired too much. "The message is about living together as brother and sister," he said.
The song went viral and it was well received by the audience.
OLD SCHOOL MEETS NEW SCHOOL!!