TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA
Now, Poptain is wont to cave in to his eccentricities at times, almost to a level of gaining some uncanny infamy for it. It gets to the point where whenever he says something burning in his mind, his words are quickly dismissed as originating from a distorted point of view and clogged state of mind. Creatives usually find themselves in such pitfalls. But maybe sometimes all we need to do is scratch beyond the surface and pay a little more attention to what they say. Case in point: him disowning his smash hit Fadza Mutengi.
A few weeks ago Poptain hogged the limelight for his charged TikTok live streams in which he said all sorts of things really, but with the fundamental point of railing against the dominant narratives that obtain in our music industry and, well, basically speaking his truth on a plethora of issues. Before he launched the missiles that were his live streams, he had said something leaning on the incendiary side of things – and that was disowning his smash hit Fadza Mutengi which features the lovely vocals of Allanah. There were mixed reactions to this, and his message kind of got obfuscated in the fury of his TikTok live streams.
But the action had already been done, regardless of what people opined. In a somewhat reflective and poignant Facebook post, Poptain expressed immense regret over that song, wishing it was something that had never come from him.
The post sounded more like a paroxysm: “ I Poptain, am freeing myself by detaching from Fadza Mutengi. I am removing myself from both its creation and benefits, if any, with immediate effect … Family, you probably have no idea how this song has enslaved me, but thanks to my creator, I am finally free by letting go … Nobody made me do this!! I am claiming back my life and seeking refuge from the evil eye!! This is the song that started half of the shit I am going through!!! … Tell him [Tinashe Mutarisi, who played a pivotal role in the recording and distribution of the song] I have surrendered all rights to this project and he may do whatever he always wanted to do with it!”
One could say that was heartfelt. And then he proceeded to delete the record from his platforms. If anyone thought the statement was something of a joke, they were mistaken. He was very serious about it. With just that, Poptain disowned himself from a super hit that a lot of people easily sing along to. After that, he went on a series of live stream episodes in which he, as alluded to before, spoke his truth (I am not keen on dwelling on the ramblings he made in those livestream episodes. Some points made sense. Other points, hmm, not so much.)
It is not uncommon for artists to disown themselves from their own works. And there are plenty of reasons to do this. Sometimes, the artist just feels their song sucks and wish to never be associated with particular piece of work. Other times, they feel their brand no longer aligns with the message they initially preached. They feel they would have outgrown whatever message it is that they had initially preached. It is obviously something the fans would not entirely agree with that an artist dissociates themselves from a song hugely loved by many. But I think such creative freedom should be extended to artists because as human beings we do change, and sometimes it so happens that we just find certain things we said in the past to be utterly repulsive.
As a writer, I’m not one to delete my writings. I love to see my previous works from years back serving as a testament to my growth as a creative. Sometimes I find some of my writings being cringeworthy. But I am still fond of seeing that evidence as living testimony that “hey, you have been doing something all these years”. The one time I have deleted my articles was when I was applying for a visa to go the United States – the articles were heavily critical of the United States and they were published on a leftist publication. So I asked their editorial team to delete them. (Trump then said he didn’t want any people from the Global South anymore visiting his beloved and glorious country so I ended up not going – and there is something ironical about this article for it is addressing the actions of an artist who is currently in the United States. Fuck America anyway. Pssh.) The point of this little anecdote is, I understand those who are not in support of creatives disowning their works. But sometimes there are justifiable reasons to do so. And I think Poptain had a justifiable reason.
When Fadza Mutengi came out, I never found any favour with it. The message was just wrong, in all aspects, for me. I found it to be a song that promoted unbridled ass-licking and that never sat well with me. It was made worse by the fact that it instantly became a fan favourite! And that happened because of what our political economy has become, one where neoliberal capitalism has taken hold and our materialist desires get the better of us. So, better please the one with the money, and do not ask any questions. Be in your unbridled sycophantic mode, and you will enjoy the pleasures of life proudly sponsored by the one with the money.
And one could even tie this to the (for lack of a better phrase) ‘mbinga culture’ that has become worryingly prevalent in our society. This is not to say the it this singular song that promotes this sickening way of life. But evidently it was part of the problem. That Poptain finally came to his senses and disowned the song gave me an unmatched sense of elation. Deleting that song was the moralistic thing to do. And with that he has my full, undivided support. I feel it is supremely important for an artist to communicate messages that align with his beliefs. That way, their art is authentic and sincere. Some people definitely do not care about this. They want their hit song, as they dance away their problems in clubs. But I do care. And Poptain finally did the right thing by unequivocally distancing himself from that putrid musical work.
He has been on record previously expressing dissatisfaction with Fadza Mutengi; alleging that he never got any tangible benefits from that song. Already that is wrong in itself. He expected all the people he gave shout-outs to in that song to extend some pecuniary benefits to him. And that did not happen. It signals what is inherently wrong with our music industry and the entire political economy at large – you have to indulge in obsequious flattery to be recognised, to get some money. That is not how we should do our things. So, evidently, this record is something that had been bothering him for a protracted time. He unshackled himself from this predicament and that deserves to be applauded, honestly.
There could be a plausible argument that once you put out a piece of art out there, you no longer have control over it. The fans now ‘own’ it. In a way. And that it would be a great disservice to these fans that you dissociate yourself from such works. But that’s just that. An artist has the right to disavow their own works. If it brings them peace of mind, then so be it. And it is for this reason that I support Poptain in disowning Fadza Mutengi.
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