Kenyan Rapper Lil Maina and producer Kanzu clash over ‘Kishash’ royalties

Kanzu, the producer of Lil Maina's hit song 'Kishash', claims he has not received any royalties from the track despite its massive success and over 8 million views on YouTube
Kanzu encouraged other producers to ensure their paperwork is in order and to assert their rights to royalties, emphasizing the importance of securing fair compensation
Lil Maina questioned Kanzu's motives, accusing him of not being transparent and emphasising that he had always paid Kanzu for his work.

Kenyan rapper Lil Maina is embroiled in a public spat with Kanzu, the producer behind his hit song, Kishash.

The disagreement centres around the royalties and earnings from the track, which has garnered over 8 million views on YouTube as of September 2024.

Kanzu's claims of unpaid royalties

The conflict began when Kanzu posted a video claiming he has not received any royalties from 'Kishash'.

Despite the song premiering in December 2021 and gaining massive popularity, Kanzu says he has not financially benefited from its success.

“My name is Kanzu. I produced Kishash kwa Bahs. Yeah, that was me. I did the work... The interesting story is I have never made money for Kishash. I have never seen royalties, bro,” he said.

Kenyan Producer Kanzu Kenyan Producer Kanzu Pulse Live Kenya

While expressing his frustration, Kanzu clarified that he does not intend to criticise Lil Maina personally but instead encourages other producers to learn from his experience.

“I’m not here to complain, and I’m not here to put down Lil Maina,” Kanzu said. “But for any producers out there, bro, make sure your paperwork is in order. Make sure you get the bag. Don’t watch the artist get rich, that’s not how the story ends, sindio?”

Kanzu also remained hopeful about his future in music production, despite his current situation. He expressed optimism about producing another hit, stating: "If I did it once, I feel like I can do it again. And this time, I want it to be more original. I want it to sound better. I want it to be me. Making music is what I do. Making hits is what I do."

Kanzu, who has been in the industry for 10 years, described the royalty issue as just "another bump in the road."

Lil Maina responds to Kanzu

In response, Lil Maina took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to address Kanzu's accusations.

In a series of X posts on September 26, Lil Maina expressed his disbelief and frustration over the situation, suggesting that Kanzu's complaints were unnecessary.

Lil Maina also highlighted that Kanzu has been in the music industry for a decade, wondering why he was only bringing up the issue of splits now.

"We did this song. We were both upcoming, and we were never talking about splits. We both knew about it, it’s just that we didn’t want to be doing that, and you know that. But now, you’re the one coming to talk about splits?" he added.

'Kishash' hit maker Lil Maina during a recent interview with Pulse Kenya Pulse Live Kenya

Lil Maina addresses issue of splits & payment

The rapper went on to criticise Kanzu’s approach, suggesting that Kanzu was more focused on releasing his version of the song rather than properly handling split agreements.

“All I was seeing was ‘can I drop my version’ and not ‘can we have a split sheet.’ You’re a funny character," Lil Maina noted, implying that Kanzu should have been proactive in discussing financial terms.

Lil Maina also questioned how Kanzu, with a decade of experience in the music industry, was not already knowledgeable about splits and agreements.

Lil Maina, producer Kanzu face off over earnings from 'Kishash' hit Lil Maina, producer Kanzu face off over earnings from 'Kishash' hit Pulse Live Kenya

Lil Maina claimed that during the creation of 'Kishash', there were no discussions about splitting royalties, primarily because both of them were upcoming artists at the time.

"So tell me, is it envy or a cry for help? Quit feeling bad about it. We were both upcoming. Don’t get mad because I surpassed you. Be grateful," Lil Maina wrote, questioning Kanzu’s motives.

He accused Kanzu of not being transparent about the truth and insisted that he had always paid Kanzu for his work: "Tell everyone the truth. Every job you did, I made sure I paid. Facts. Stop lying on the internet."

Lil Maina, producer Kanzu face off over earnings from 'Kishash' hit Lil Maina, producer Kanzu face off over earnings from 'Kishash' hit Pulse Live Kenya

Lil Maina concluded by expressing that Kishash was more than just a song—it was a platform that both artists used to elevate their careers. He explained that he had a plan for the track and simply needed a platform to bring it to life, which they successfully did.