adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
Zimdancehall artiste Souljah Love continues to hog the limelight for all the wrong reasons. The Ndini Uya Uya hit-maker’s gigs have become synonymous with controversy as the artiste is on record for not performing, even after having being paid by show organisers.
Souljah Love in all cases makes an effort to travel to the venue, just to show his presence in the particular city.
The latest appearance was in Bulawayo last Saturday where he failed to perform at the Palace Hotel, but instead took to the stage to greet impatient fans with his “Conquering, chibaba baba chacho” chant, before leaving for good.
After realising their artiste was not returning to the stage, fans who had paid $5 and waited for hours for his performance started throwing cans on stage, before stoning the hotel’s windows, destroying a lot of property in the process.
Some promoters and show organisers who have attempted hosting him at their outlets have since given up on the otherwise talented Zimdancehall artiste, saying he was beyond help.
Mutare-based businessman, Isau Mupfumi who attempted hosting Souljah Love at his Pick and Save nightclub in Mutare twice in February said he ended up having him arrested after he took fans for a ride, failing to perform on both occasions.
Mupfumi said Souljah Love was always too drunk to perform and should carry the blame for all the controversies surrounding his failed shows.
“Souljah Love is always drunk, sometimes too drunk to perform.
“I’ve had first-hand experience as he behaved that way when I booked him for a show here.
“He came for the show at around 2AM, stone drunk. He had to go on stage and speak to the fans to cool them down as they were complaining,” said Mupfumi.
He said he got the artiste arrested for defrauding him but later dropped the charges.
“Bounty Lisa (then Souljah Love’s girlfriend) and my wife spoke after his arrest and when the charges of fraud were dropped, she promised to take over his management.
“After that, everything was going on well when she was managing him as he had successful shows in Zimbabwe, South Africa and UK,” said Mupfumi.
But now, Souljah Love and Bounty Lisa have reportedly separated, and Souljah Love has gone back to his wayward ways.
“Two weeks ago I called him to Dangamvura where I was campaigning and wanted people to have some entertainment.
“When he arrived, people started surrounding his vehicle and taking pictures with him.
“Suddenly he ran out of the vehicle, armed with a hockey stick and started chasing fans away,” said Mupfumi.
Club Forty 40 management concurred with Mufumi saying they faced similar challenges with the artiste when they invited him to their outlet last year.
“Souljah Love wanted to have his people control the gate and all transactions, but the deal was he should provide someone and we should do the same. He didn’t want to concede to the earlier agreed terms and in protest, he didn’t perform,” said an official from the club.
He said Souljah Love was difficult to deal with.
“He was arrested in Mutare for the same chicanery earlier this year after he failed to perform there. When such a thing recurs, the best explanation is that the artiste is the problem.”
Efforts to get a comment from Souljah Love were fruitless as his mobile phones were unreachable.
Online Reporter