Emtee Stands Up for Artists in Pandemic Economy: “Stop Tryna Water Down Artist Rates”
- When the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the country went into lockdown, shutting down events, many artists fell short of a source of stable income
- Now that things are opening up again, Emtee has voiced his disgust with people who are trying to negotiate artist booking rates after months without work
- Emtee did not give any information about who his message was directed to but it goes without saying that he is not going to have his bag interfered with
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Emtee has made it clear that he will not stay quiet while he and fellow musicians get snubbed from their well-deserved paychecks. The rapper put out a very stern message to those who are trying to book performers to warn them to stop trying to pay less than what their art is worth.
Source: Instagram
The Roll Up hitmaker has voiced his frustrations with individuals who are trying to chop and change artists' rates. It is no secret that the pandemic affected the entertainment industry heavily, so to see artists being potentially short-changed after such a struggle does not sit well with the rapper, reports SAHipHopMag.
Emtee hopped onto Twitter to share his message with unnamed talent bookers. In a shortly-worded yet extremely emotive tweet he said:
"STOP TRYNA WATER DOWN ARTISTS' RATES"
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SAHipHopMag further reports that Emtee is not alone. The number of artists complaining about a dip in pay for gigs is growing rapidly. DJ Double D also spoke up about the matter in a podcast interview. The DJ was quoted saying:
"I’ve heard directly from artists, I’ve heard from promoters, I’ve heard from managers as well, a lot of guys have complained, especially in hip hop, saying oh man you guys have put a dent in the market because the promoters are always going to try and take advantage."
“I’m Proudly Southaaahhh”: Emtee shows off his language skills
Briefly News reported proudly South African rapper Emtee has been heavily criticised for having an American accent when he speaks, much like many other SA rappers. A displeased follower decided to call him out on it in a social media comment.
The multilingual celeb quickly defended himself and reminded the critic of just how many local languages he writes his music in. The comment came after tweeps called South African hip hop artists out for being inauthentic.
When a tweep called Emtee an 'American wannabe', the rapper explained to him that the reason for his accent is the fact that he is rather a scholar of note. Emtee explained that he really enjoys learning different languages and for that reason his accent changes, reports SAHipHopMag.
The rapper revealed that of the 11 official languages in our country, he has the ability to rap in at least 10 of them. The polyglot writes:
"I’m proudly Southaaahhh. I write music in almost 10 SOUTH AFRICAN languages.”
On top of setting the record straight about his accent, Emtee also added that the tweep should not doubt his level of education. He made it clear that the way he speaks is indeed a result of his education and love for learning new languages.
Source: Briefly News
