CELEB CONFESSIONS: Chikuzee, Mombasa’s finest crooner

Suleiman Chikuku Abdallah, aka Chikuzee, is arguably one of Mombasa’s finest musicians. PHOTO| THOMAS MATIKO

What you need to know:

  • Diamond is cautious about signing foreign artistes also because he does not want to be accused of ignoring local talent.
  • That is why the details are so confidential. I can’t divulge anything else because I’m bound by a contract.

Suleiman Chikuku Abdallah, aka Chikuzee, is arguably one of Mombasa’s finest musicians. So fine, in fact, that he recently became the first Kenyan artiste to sing with Diamond Platinumz’s Wasafi Records (WCB).

With hits like “Hidaya”, “Si Vibaya” among others, Chikuzee, who is eight years old in the industry, is set to grow even bigger.   

Nation.co.ke recently caught up with him for a heart-to-heart.

Rumour has it that Diamond is very choosy about what artiste to sign up. How did you land the Wasafi deal?

It wasn’t that easy closing on such a deal bearing in mind the fact that in Tanzania there are so many artistes who would wish to be signed with Wasafi. I will not lie to you. There was heavy vetting from Diamond and his team. Diamond is cautious about signing foreign artistes also because he does not want to be accused of ignoring local talent. That is why the details are so confidential. I can’t divulge anything else because I’m bound by a contract.

Come on, give us something…
Right now,I’m allowed to record music with other labels as well as Wasafi. Diamond and his team are very cautious so they like to take their time with these things. You have to understand that once you’re fully signed with Wasafi, you can’t record music anywhere else.

So what’s cooking in the Wasafi kitchen for you?

(Smiling) Something great is definitely cooking! I started working immediately and soon, you will get to hear one of my tracks from Wasafi.

Immediately after you signed the deal, you said that you will be relocating to Tanzania to fully concentrate on music but since then you have been in Kenya. What happened?
(Laughing) Circumstances dictated my movements. For instance, currently I am back home to promote my brand-new single “Kichungu” that was produced by Mazuu and whose video was shot in Tanzania. My biggest fan base is in Kenya.

Let’s talk about your three-year break from music.
I decided to take the break and explore the East African market and see how things were, which artiste I could work with, how music is distributed and played and so on.  I chose to focus on Tanzania as my major market after sampling all the three East African countries. It was all about strategising. Apart from that, I needed a break from the war of words with Coast artistes.  

 

What really transpired between you and Susumila? We all thought things were going well after you collaborated in “Hidaya” and “Ngoma Itambae”.
The cause of all that was the two songs you just mentioned. They were big songs at that time and we were really making a killing out of it in terms of sales and gig invitations.  Susumila got greedy and wanted to control the show though we had a gentleman’s agreement on how we would be splitting the cake. This is what caused the rift between us. The two projects were a joint venture and his wanting to call the shots wasn’t right. 

During the beef, there was also word in the street that you alleged Susumila uses black magic to further his musical career?
All those stories were fabricated by the media and blogs taking advantage of the situation at hand.


How is your relationship with him right now?
(Smiling) We are cool. When we meet, we say hello and life moves on.


Did he ever apologise to you?

No.

Would you ever work with Susumila again?
Not in my lifetime.

Eight years in the game, would you say music has been rewarding to you financially after all this time?
Not really. I started music when there was hardly anything good to brag about except for the fame. I’m yet to get where I want to be. I have invested back the money I have made from music.

I’m an entrepreneur, I deal in buying and selling of land. This is my side hustle that keeps my bank account active when music is not paying.

What has been your biggest paycheck ever since you started doing music?

I was once paid half a million, almost never believed it, considering the fact that for the kind of shows we get in Mombasa, artistes are paid peanuts, ranging from Sh60, 000 to Sh70,000). This is so mean and that’s why I have turned down so many shows.

Going by your Instagram post you are a family man. How long have you been married?
I have been married to my wife for eight years now, though not officially. I plan to have a wedding in December 2018.

What upsets your wife about you?
It has always been text messages from female fans. When she sees such texts, she gets irritated and jealous. She has learned to cope with it, though.