Sound engineer and highlife musician Kwadwo Opare- Addo, known in showbiz circles as Voltage, is sounding a note of caution to upcoming musicians and engineers, who want to work with legendary highlife musician Daddy Lumba, to be careful.
He has asked the young musicians to take a cue from what has happened to all the musicians who have previously worked with him.
Speaking in an interview on Onua FM’s Anigye Mmre hosted by Christian Agyei Frimpong on Thursday, Voltage, who was once featured on Daddy Lumba’s Mpempem and Maseda in 2008, said the legendary musician is yet to give him his proceeds 11 years after the song was released.
Mpempem was on Daddy Lumba’s 26th album titled ‘Sika’.
The album had hit tracks such as Sika, Si Me So remix, Medo No remix, Nana Awu remix, Mas3de a.k.a Se Awiase Nyinaa, Huhuuhu and Mpempem Do Me.
According to Voltage, it has been over 10 years and he is yet to even speak to Lumba for his due, and that several efforts to reach him have proved futile.
He said Lumba promised to collaborate with him on another album but he has since refused to respond to his numerous calls.
“I had respect for him that is why I worked for him. So after the work, I told them I am traveling and when I come, I will tackle that issue.
“When I work for the senior musicians, I don’t charge them. I prefer they mention an amount to be offered to me but Lumba did not appreciate what I did for him, because since the time I worked for him up till now, he has never called me, and anytime I call him, the wife picks the phone.”
Hypocrite
The musician said Daddy Lumba is a hypocrite who takes advantage of others.
“He is not the only one. Some of [the senior musicians] are also hypocrites. Most of these legends are hypocrites. They are hypocrites and parasite. They just laugh with us.”
He said elderly musicians like Lumba should respect themselves and treat young ones well in the industry.
“I have done more work for people that I did not take money from, because I am not money conscious. Working with these guys helped me. It grows me as an artiste, but the elderly musicians are cheating on the younger ones which is not right,” he bemoaned.
When asked to react to the notion that his career has been in jeopardy just like Ofori Amponsah, Kofi B, Nana Acheampong, Ampong, Borax, K.K Fosu, Papa Shee, among others, who parted ways with Lumba and never succeeded in music, Voltage said “I believe in God”.
Lumba is a good person
The sound engineer admitted that Daddy Lumba is a good person and a fine gentleman but his character when it comes to treatment of people he worked with is poor.
“See, I am not dead but when you are singing the collaborated song [Mpempem] on stage, you invite someone to sing my verse,” he explained.
By Kweku Antwi-Otoo| 3news.com|Ghana