By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
Amid limited resources and financial challenges hampering the growth of artists in the Gam-music industry, talented songwriter and rapper, Hussain Dada, has said that Gambian companies should accept Gambian artists and not throw their sponsorship letters into the bin whenever they ask for assistance from them.
Dada said companies should read letters from artists first and understand them before brushing them aside.
“Don’t put our sponsorship letters in the bin. Whenever Gambian artists come to you with their sponsorship letters, don’t put them in the bin. Because it takes us time to write whatever is in that paper so that you can view it to see the importance it carries.”
Speaking to The Fatu Network, the ‘Chosen One’ hit-maker said companies in the country do not know the value of artists, arguing that artists also contribute to national development.
“These companies do not know the value of an artist; most of these companies. Though there are companies that open their arms whenever we come but there are companies that always feel like they are better to us than we are to them, and this is a big problem in the industry,” Dada explained.
The prolific rapper stressed that everything is expensive in music and artists alone cannot hit all the boxes. He said if companies are open to artists as ordinary Gambian music fans, the Gam-music industry would have been at another level.
“If companies are coming and giving endorsement deals and sponsorship, things will be way easier. If the way the fans accept us is the same way from companies, things will be way different,” the rapper pointed out.
Hussain Dada, who claimed to be the second-best Gambian artist after ST, strongly argued that artists too are contributing to national development. He further narrated that Gambian artists go through a lot, including not trusting certain managers to run their works. He called on companies to help the industry to help Gam-music grow to a bigger stage.
