He is ready to air the dirty laundry of what goes on behind closed doors at major label Warner Music Africa. Grath Brown, artist and former creative lead at Warner Music Africa resigned in November 2023, citing non-professionalism and toxicity at the label. He said he has been quiet for too long about what is happening at the label following the appointment of Temi Adeniji, a Nigerian-American music executive and board member of Warner Music Group. Temi has been working at the label in South Africa for three years.

TIRED

Garth worked with established artists Kiddo, Zahara, Supta, Miss Cosmo, Malums on Decks, and Reason, who have mostly left the label after he resigned. He discovered young talented rapper Kiddo who has since turned his back on him after rumours that he was allegedly stealing from the artists. "I was at Warner for five years and worked with Temi for the last two years before deciding to resign,' he said. "I left due to the toxic work environment and never being given a chance to grow. I was responsible for all the operations and basically, all departments reported to me; marketing, A&A, brand, and those all had their manager who were either hired or all those jobs were put under my portfolio. When I asked for a promotion, they said no because I am too friendly with the staff. What is that?' he asked.

TOXICITY

Garth said the latest was hearing from the artists in the rumour mill that he allegedly stole R2 million. "I resigned and left peacefully, despite everything that happened. I chose peace. But a year later, I hear that I allegedly stole R2 million from artists,' he says. "How do I have access to R2 million, surely a major label can do a solid audit to find where the R2 million went to. Artists are being fed lies using my name and Temi is saying bad things and I cannot defend myself.' He added that there are a lot of untold stories on the label. "So much has been happening, but I kept quiet until she decided to brand me a thief, stealing from artists. She needs to explain how she frustrated Zahara and never wanted to release any of her music. But that is a story for another day and she needs to answer," Garth said, adding that Temi would force him to delete pictures on his Instagram. "She burned incense in the office while a pregnant woman was there and said she was getting rid of bad spirits. What kind of an environment is that where she ill-treated everyone? I had to leave for my mental wellness," he added.

LEGAL ADVISE

Garth has sought legal advice from his lawyer to deal with the matter. "It's a case of defamation especially from the same person who had 18 staff members, 13 of which have resigned in the two and a half years she has been working there.