Zambian hip-hop heavyweight Slapdee has spoken out in support of upcoming artist Success 481 after the young musician said his microphone was taken from him while he was performing at an event in Chilubi.
Success 481 shared his disappointment on social media, describing the incident as disrespectful and embarrassing after, according to his account, a microphone was taken from his hands while he was on stage and given to another person.
The post attracted the attention of Slapdee, who reshared Success 481’s message and offered words of support to the upcoming artist.
“Not sure what the circumstances were but this sucks. I feel my guy’s pain,” Slapdee wrote.
The Zambian rapper went on to suggest that the situation could have been handled differently, saying the artist could simply have been given a warning that he had about a minute left to finish his performance.
“You could have whispered for him to finish up in 60 seconds,” Slapdee added.
Rather than stopping at criticism, Slapdee extended an invitation to Success 481, offering him an opportunity to perform at one of his own shows.
“You’re invited to come do your full performance at my next performance buddy… Nice song btw,” Slapdee wrote.
The gesture has given the incident a different dimension, with one of Zambia’s established hip-hop figures publicly showing support for an upcoming artist who says he felt humiliated while trying to perform.
Success 481, in his original post, said he found it particularly disappointing to have the microphone taken from him while performing in front of an audience.
He argued that artists also deserve respect while carrying out their duties on stage.
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“It is so disrespectful and disappointing to get a microphone from my hands while I was on stage performing and give it to someone else as if I was not invited,” Success 481 wrote.
He added that he would have preferred being stopped from performing rather than being embarrassed in front of the crowd.
According to the upcoming artist, the incident was not an isolated experience in Chilubi, claiming that similar situations had happened several times.
“This thing has been happening several times in Chilubi,” he wrote, before questioning why artists from the area were allegedly being underestimated.
Despite his disappointment, Success 481 ended his message by saying he would take the experience as part of the challenges that come with pursuing a career in music.
“Anyway, it’s fine as it’s part of music,” he wrote, while signing off with a reference to Chilubi as his homeland.
The situation also attracted a reaction from Zambian artist TBwoy, who added his voice to the discussion surrounding the challenges faced by upcoming musicians.
TBwoy wrote: “Kunkala upcoming niyokosa zo ona,” before highlighting the level of disrespect that emerging artists can experience.
He further suggested that people who may look down on an upcoming musician today could eventually treat that same artist differently if they become successful and begin making money from their music.
The reactions from Slapdee and TBwoy have therefore shifted attention beyond the specific incident and towards a broader conversation about how emerging artists are treated within Zambia’s music industry.
For many upcoming musicians, performing at events can be one of the few opportunities to introduce their music to new audiences, build relationships and gain experience on stage.
That makes the treatment of emerging artists at shows an important part of the conversation around the growth of Zambia’s music industry.
Slapdee himself has previously spoken about the difficulties he experienced during the early stages of his career, including being left out of shows and struggling to get his music recognised. In earlier comments, he encouraged upcoming artists to remain persistent and continue working despite setbacks.
His latest message to Success 481 is therefore consistent with a wider theme of supporting emerging talent and encouraging young musicians not to give up when they encounter setbacks.
The circumstances surrounding the Chilubi performance itself have not been independently established from the information available, and Success 481’s account does not explain who took the microphone or why the decision was made.
Slapdee also acknowledged that uncertainty, beginning his response by saying he was “not sure what the circumstances were.”
What is clear, however, is that Success 481 felt disrespected by what happened, while Slapdee and TBwoy have publicly expressed sympathy for the upcoming artist.
And in what could become the most positive development to emerge from the controversy, Success 481 now has an invitation from one of Zambia’s biggest hip-hop names to perform his full performance at Slapdee’s next show.
For an upcoming artist who says he was left disappointed on one stage, that invitation could potentially give him another opportunity to finish what he started.
