Let hard work be your mouth piece

Is it just me or do some upcoming Namibian artists think they are entitled to certain privileges, like respect or mass appeal? Nobody really cares for some of the stuff they do – yet those musicians are the same ones who hate on young successful artists like DJ Spuzza, Lioness, Kp Illest, DJ Castro and more who are making money, signing deals, performing to packed audiences and get national airplay.

I think those negative upcoming artists should rather get full-time jobs and stop spewing out hate because they will not get successful by trying to hate on hard-working musicians. Some of these artists are not consistent when it comes to releasing music and when they do drop a project, not enough time and money is invested in pushing their music – yet they are so political and like to talk bad about commercial artists. Wake up and put in the work, boys and girls! Nobody is checking for you. Yet.

You perform at one big event once a year – but then what? You claim to have online audiences but you are not even big in your own town.

I would personally be more supportive if these artists swallowed their pride and worked harder to get their stuff out there nationally and leave agendas at the door. Some artists have the potential to make it big, but their arrogance and negative approach makes it hard for them to break through.

Namibia’s entertainment industry is a small and opportunities in this sector are mainly found in Windhoek, but that does not mean entertainment initiatives cannot thrive outside of Windhoek. The main reason why artists from smaller towns fail is because they fail to identify a viable market to fill at home.

Often, artists not based in Windhoek complain about not being featured on big line-ups for events taking place in the capital, but instead of complaining, they can start their own events in their respective towns and grow these to the point where they will become annual affairs that are profitable.

Everyone knows the cliché of starving artists. Parents discourage their kids from becoming artists in fear that they will end up struggling to support themselves. It is also high time that artists diversify when it comes to the business they invest in. Many artists who go into business invest in merchandise. This usually fails because there aren’t enough fans to sustain the business. So explore other business avenues and learn from those who are succeeding instead of always feeling left out and entitled to privileges you’re meant to work for.

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