The very same gospel artistes who turned me against Bahati, took off when I needed them – Weezdom finally speaks out
Ex-gospel artist, Weezdom has decried the hate and hypocrisy in the gospel industry that has seen Bahati shut down his EMB record label.
The Kenyan artist gave a recount of his journey since Bahati signed him into his label, to this very day, when he has received both love and hate in equal measure.
Recount
2015, Bahati took up Weezdom from the streets of Mathare – where he worked as a garbage collector – mentored him and signed him into his record label, EMB, as his first signee.
The reception the former gospel kid received soon after his debut, was one of a kind, winning awards and getting nominations from fans.
A year later, in 2016, Weezdom quit EMB records under the influence of fellow gospel artistes, who did not like Bahati and therefore turned Weezdom against him.
Unfortunately, soon after he walked out of the door, the very same gospel musicians who had turned him against Bahati, were nowhere to be seen.
This forced the singer to return to his former ways, as a garbage collector in Mathare.
At the time, he made so many friends, reconciled with those who had wronged him and those he had wronged and he felt that Bahati needed an apology as well.
I made so many new friends in the gospel industry, who would cheer me up and call me every time, I rose against Bahati. When I was building all these stories against Bahati, they told me I was the only person who could speak against Bahati.
His return
So 3 years later, in 2019, Weezdom asked Bahati for forgiveness, who openly welcomed him back and forgave him for being misled.
It was a tough decision for him to make but Bahati forgave me like his brother, reminding me how we started at EMB together. ‘EMB is your home and always will be, come back home and let’s work together’ Bahati told me.
It has been 7 months now since Weezdom’s return but it felt like a decade for him. The trolls, the backlash, the hate, proved too much for him to bear.
According to him though, all the trolls he was facing was because of getting back with his former Boss, Bahati, whom he was initially supposed to turn against.
The gospel musicians and the multiple friends he had made, during the three years away from EMB, now turned against him as well.
This left him puzzled, confessing that at times, he would receive backlash from people who were targeting Bahati.
It has really hurt me to see that artistes signed under EMB, lack a certain kind of support because they are at EMB. A good example is Denno who was gifted a car by Bahati but many took it as a show of wealth. I have never seen, not even one gospel artist support Denno or Bahati whether for music or anything.
EMB shut down
Weezdom recalled how when Bahati told me he wanted to disband EMB, it not only disappointed him, it felt like a blow.
I felt it was going to be a big blow to the gospel industry, to see such a well-established record label close shop, yet it has helped so many young artistes to achieve success.
He however accepted his Boss’ decision basing on the fact that his helping hand only yielded him hate, backlash and pain.
Instead of getting support from his fellow artistes, Bahati was instead blasted and it felt like he was doing this alone.
By the time Bahati told me about the shut down, as an artist, I just felt I was standing in an industry where my fellow artistes hated me even though I loved them. However, I believe my relationship with God does not lie in my music but in my heart.
Weezdom apologized to his fans for quitting gospel music
I will no longer be releasing songs and I have quit the Kenyan gospel industry, because of the hatred, the depression, the hypocrisy by those I respect. To my fans, I love you, thank you for the support.
He dismissed any speculations that he was turning into a secular artist even though he was quitting gospel.
Weezdom however failed to disclose his next venture after EMB shutdown but expressed deep gratitude to his mentor, Bahati.