Bahati falls out with Ziiki Media over his ‘hacked’ YouTube channel
Kenyan singer Bahati has fallen out with music distribution company Ziiki Media after he sensationally claimed that the firm hacked his YouTube channel.
The artiste made the claims on Wednesday, saying the company hacked his YouTube channel and removed the video of the song Diana, which was a collabo between him and Rwandese singer Bruce Melodie.
“Dear Bahati fans. Ziiki Media has illegally hacked my YouTube channel and deleted my song ‘Diana’ featuring Rwanda’s Bruce Melodie. Ziiki Media are fraudsters,” Bahati wrote on Instagram.
The singer further expressed his frustration and called on the Kenyan government for assistance.
“Dear Kenyan Government, this is where we are getting our taxes… Help us deal with these fraudsters! Very sad!” he said.
Also read: Ali Kiba – What I love about Kenyan music
Ziiki Media has since responded to Bahati’s claims, which they denied.
“Bahati has claimed in his post that Ziiki Media has ‘hacked’ his YouTube channel, taken down one of his songs ‘illegally,’ and referred to the company as ‘fraudsters,’ without any explanation or substance to such an incriminating statement. We vehemently deny the statement made by Bahati in the above post in its entirety and do not wish to dignify such brazen lies by explaining any further at this stage,” Ziiki Media said in a official statement.
Ziiki Media is now demanding an unconditional apology from Bahati. The company also wants the singer to delete the Instagram post, which they have termed as defamatory.
The artiste has been warned that failure to comply with the demands, will leave the company with no option other than seeking legal redress.
Also read: Ali Kiba – Signing divorce papers is not a problem for me
Ziiki Media emphasized their adherence to legally binding contracts signed with Bahati, which allowed them to distribute his music, including on platforms like YouTube, since October 2020.
The company acknowledged that contracts entail obligations for both parties involved and indicated that failure to honor these obligations can lead to consequences that may be undesirable for the non-compliant party.
While recognizing Bahati’s substantial fan base on social media, Ziiki Media emphasized that social media platforms are not the appropriate venues for addressing legal matters.
The company pointed out that the contract signed between Bahati and Ziiki Media outlines mechanisms for dispute resolution and recommended that the singer seek legal advice before escalating the situation further.
Nairobi News reached out to Bahati who did not pick up calls when this story was published.