Johannesburg - Ms. Paige of Sdala B & Paige Amapiano duo fame has accused her record company, Open Mic Productions of having bribed Sdalo B while leaving her in the dark.
Paige has lamented the apparent divide-and-rule strategy used by the record label, which has been embroiled in scandal after scandal due to the non-payment of its artists.
Last week, The Star reported how the company allegedly cheated some of its artists out of record sales royalties and other monies for albums released under the label.
Taking to her Twitter page, Ms. Paige and the Ngyazifela Ngawe hitmaker said she is heartbroken but not angry with her partner for having accepted what she called ‘bribe money“ which he used to buy himself a car at the weekend. She said this was a bid by the firm to get him to apologise for her recent blasting of the company for allegedly cheating them out of their royalties.
"I am so heartbroken, but all shall be well. So on Thursday, Sdala B called me and told me that Open Mic gave him a call that he must come for a meeting so they can give him his money on the same day, and he called to tell us how scared he was but will go to hear what they had to say. I kept quiet and gave him space, then on Sunday around 7pm, I got a call from his family member that Sdala is at home in Mpumalanga and has returned from Pretoria, and he has bought a car for himself. I did not understand how he did that, but it clearly made sense that Open Mic gave him some money, which he told me they were going to after they called," Paige said.
News of this incident was confirmed by the duo’s manager, Lucky Matshazi.
"Yes, it is true what you have heard. Sdala B went for a meeting with Open Mic on Thursday, and by Saturday he came home with a car, and he is no longer answering our calls. He has been given money, which we do not know much about," Matshazi told The Star on Tuesday.
Last week, Matshazi indicated that they were now taking the matter through legal processes following their fallout with the company.
In the meantime, Ms. Paige, who recently graduated with a law degree, said she has no hard feelings towards Sdala B, who reportedly apologised to the executives of the record company as part of the conditions stipulated.
"Honestly speaking, I am not angry or mad at Sdala. I love him as my little brother, and I know Open Mic took advantage of the struggles he had at home and used them to turn him against me," she said.
Attempts to get comments from Open Mic proved unsuccessful at the time of going to print. This comes after the co-founder of the company, Nkateko Maluleke, refused to comment on a previous media enquiry regarding the matter.
The singer further accused the company of owing her money, saying her situation was similar to that of former label star, Makhadzi, adding that she was told to look for a job because her music career was over.
The Star