Just few hours before the release of the highly anticipated Onkgopotse, one of the album’s biggest contributor, Smaki 08 has called out DJ Jaivane’s distributor for removing his name from the upcoming Album.
According to the statement issued by the rising producer earlier today, Smaki 08 lamented how he received an email few days to the release of the album about the removal of his name from the production credits because the distributor felt it would be inappropriate for a producer’s name to appear too frequently on a project that is not theirs.
“To my supporters, collaborators, and the South African music community: I’m releasing this statement to formally address the situation surrounding my contributions to DJ Jaivane’s upcoming album “Onkgopotse”, scheduled for release on 31 August 2025. Over the past year, I worked tirelessly to produce, compose, and engineer a total of 14 songs submitted for inclusion on the album. I personally recorded the vocalists, arranged the compositions, and built the sound that defines much of this project.
However, on 28 July 2025—just days before the public release—I was notified that I would be removed from the production credits of 12 of those tracks. According to the message I received, this decision came not from the artist directly, but from the distributor, who expressed concern about how it would “look” for one producer’s name to appear so frequently.” Part of the statement reads.
Smaki 08 claimed he created 14 tracks from the album and has the full project files, stems, and proof of authorship but when the decision about his name being removed from the album came up, he wasn’t consulted and also wasn’t given a chance to approve or reject the removal. Smaki 08 is threatening to take legal actions against DJ Jaivane and stop the release of the album until he’s fully credited for his works.
“I believe in collaboration. I believe in unity. But I also believe in respect, and this move disrespects not only me, but every producer and independent artist fighting for proper recognition. I have since taken formal legal steps to protect my work and to stop the distribution of these tracks until the matter is properly resolved. No artist should ever be erased from their own contributions.” The statement further reads.
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