Rapper Nyashinski has removed over 20 of his hit songs from major streaming platforms Spotify and Apple Music, reportedly due to a disagreement over a lucrative deal with his long-time friend and music producer, Cedric ‘Cedo’ Kadenyi.
A recent spot check by Nairobi News revealed that popular tracks like ‘Kebs’, ‘Hapo Tu’, ‘Mungu Pekee’, ‘Aminia’, ‘Properly’, ‘Marathon Runner’, ‘Kabla Tudie’, ‘Lift Me Up’ and ‘Malaika’ have all disappeared from these streaming services. However, fans can still access these songs on YouTube.
The controversy stems from a multi-million shilling deal that Nyashinski secured with a leading telecom company for creating jingles.
According to sources, Nyashinski offered Cedo Ksh1 million to produce the jingles, a proposal Cedo initially accepted.
However, Cedo later discovered through his industry connections that the total value of the deal exceeded Sh10 million, leading him to feel undercut and demand a higher payment.
The revelation of the deal’s true worth reportedly caused a fallout between the two friends. Cedo’s insistence on fair compensation exacerbated the situation, leading to Nyashinski’s decision to pull songs produced by Cedo from Spotify and Apple Music.
This move effectively blocks Cedo from earning royalties from these tracks, given their shared publishing rights.
An insider close to the situation explained, “What I hear is that the two had a falling out over a Ksh10 million-plus deal. Shinski landed a mega jingle deal from one of the country’s telecom companies. He approached Cedo to produce the jingles and offered to pay him Sh1 million, which the producer initially agreed to.”
The source continued, “Cedo discovered through his connections with the telecom company that Shinski had signed a deal of over Sh10 million. Shocked by the disparity, Cedo demanded a fairer share, leading to their disagreement.”
The insider added that Nyashinski’s retaliatory removal of the songs is puzzling, as it also impacts his own earnings.
“This simply means that Cedo won’t be able to earn any royalties from those songs for which they share publishing rights. What I don’t understand is why Shinski would make such a move, which also affects him directly.”
Related: Nyashinski’s court case: Magistrate set to rule on copyright infringement
