Shammah Records boss and top gospel artist, Mdumiseni “Dumi Mkokstad” Nzimande has lost his first artist, Nathi Sithole.
Dumi owns Shammah Records and Nathi was his first artist.
In his public statement, Nathi wrote: “This dispatch serves as an official statement to all relevant stakeholders, event organisers, and fans, that Nathi Sithole is no longer under Shammah Records after an amicable decision on the best interests of both parties.
“He will pursue his music career as an individual artist. I appreciate the platforms and doors that Shammah Records opened for me and the guidance, coaching, and mentorship by Dumi Mkokstad.”
Nathi told the publication that he wanted to grow and explore the gospel industry on his own,
“I am not a talkative person, I’d rather keep quiet and act instead of making noise. Dumi has done his part, he gave me enough exposure and I’ve grown, now it’s time to go,” he said.
Dumi Mkokstad
He said they had a verbal contract: “We intentionally did not write it down because we didn’t want to be bound by it. The only condition was that I’d do two albums with Shammah Records then I’ll be free to do my own thing. This is exactly what I’m doing, I have given him two albums and both of them did very well. We shared the profits in half and we were all happy. But now I need to be on my own, it’s about time I collect all the profits of my music.”
Dumi told the publication that Nathi felt neglected.
“He approached me and I’d just started my recording label. I took him under my wing and gave him all the support which includes sharing my platforms with him. The two albums did not do well, for the first he was still new in the industry. The second album which was released in 2020 failed because of lockdown. In addition to this, I have other artists who need my attention. These challenges were too much for him and he felt neglected in the process,” said Dumi.