Over the weekend, Amapiano music giant Kabelo "Kabza De Small' Motha opened his hangout spot and artist incubator PianoHub in Pimville, Soweto. Although excitement is in place, he is currently facing a legal battle with former friend and producer Kelvin Momo, real name Thato Ledwaba, over a contract dispute.

CONTRACT DISPUTE

PianoHub took in Kelvin Momo as one of their artists. The contractual agreement was to pay Kelvin his royalties every six months and promote his music commercially. Kelvin believes Kabza's company failed to meet their obligations. Following this, Kabza also failed to inform distributors and publishers that he no longer had an agreement with the producer and that payments should have been made directly to Kelvin and not the record label. A friend in Kelvin's circle said PianoHub was meant to promote his music and get endorsements from 2020 for his project, Momo's Private School. But that has not happened; he had to do all the work himself," the friend said.

BREACH OF CONTRACT

The friend revealed that Kelvin has not been satisfied with the work or lack of effort put into his brand. This has also affected their friendship and business. "They were really close. They had a good friendship until the signing of the contracts,' a source said. "Sometimes you cannot mix friendships with business. PianoHub also has a lot of artists, and they battle to juggle all at once,' the source added. Due to being unhappy, Kelvin has tried to cut ties with PianoHub and has taken the legal route, going to the Johannesburg High Court and demanding a sum of R1 million in compensation. "This is for royalties and for failing to meet his contractual obligations,' the insider said. Kabza did not respond to our questions, and Kelvin Momo did not wish to discuss the legal matter.