Uncle Waffles hit song Wadibusa, featuring OHP Sage, real name Omphile and Pcee, real name Khulekani Nxumalo, and produced by Royal MusiQ and Djy Biza, hit 10 million streams on Spotify within a few weeks of its release. The Amapiano song, which trended on TikTok even before its release date, has been an international hit and played across the world. However, the stars behind the song seem to have not reaped the fruits of the song's success.

OFFER

An insider in Uncle Waffles camp revealed to ZiMoja that the leading singer on the song, 20-year-old OHP Sage, has been having sleepless nights out of frustration after he was offered only R16 000 for his contribution to the song and a few opportunities to perform with Uncle Waffles while promoting the song. "He is the star behind the song. He made the hit what it is today. It's his vocals and his brilliant songwriting,' an insider said. "He sings the hook, and without him, the song would not have blown up.' The insider said when OHP Sage was asked to be on the song, his career had not fully taken off. "He is a kid; he is only interested in making great music and performing. He doesn't know much about the business side of music, and people seem to take advantage of that. He was excited to be on a song with Waffles. He went into the studio and made a hit without discussing paperwork because he assumed his label would take care of everything after.'

ROYALTIES

The insider said that after the song became a hit, OHP Sage made some appearances with Uncle Waffles and her team. "He shot the music video and made some club appearances with them. After that, they were done with him,' he said. The insider said OHP Sage was then offered to give up his rights to the song for R16 000. "He is not just the singer but also a composer and deserves a big piece in the split so he can reap the rewards," the source added.

CREDITS

OHP Sage, who is currently promoting his single Dlala Ntwana Yam, said his label is taking care of everything. "I think that was the case in the beginning, but the label is resolving everything. I am good with everyone,' he said. OHP Sage's record label boss Phillip Makhate from Makhates Productions said they rejected the R16 000 offer. "They initially sent a contract to waive rights to the song, and that was strongly rejected, and we asked the team to do the right thing before the song can be removed from all streaming platforms," he said. "We never waived any rights to the song, OHP Sage is still entitled to master recording royalties and publishing royalties for Wadibusa song,' Makhate said. Uncle Waffles management team failed to respond to our questions by the time of publication.