Various reports in town indicate that Coach Gael, founder of 1:55AM record label, is trying to get The Ben’s Burundi concert scheduled for October 1 cancelled.
The reports follow screenshots of chats between two unidentified people discussing how Coach Gael wants to jeopardise The Ben’s Burundi concert, citing money he owes him as the main cause of the tension.
“My man, I ain’t no snitch but these niggas saying they will jeopardize your Buja show. Watch your back. And Gael sounded serious too,” the sender texted in the screenshots obtained by The New Times.
The other person, identified by many as The Ben, replied, “Man! Why would they want to do that? I’ve never wished those guys anything bad. Seriously, why?”
The sender wrote back, telling The Ben that the reason Coach Gael wanted his Burundi concert cancelled was because of the money he owed him.
The screenshots, which were taken on Snapchat, are now at the centre of almost every conversation in town, with many asking why one of Rwanda’s biggest artistes is picking a fight with an investor in the same sector instead of working together.
The New Times understands that the feud dates back to when the two met in the US and decided to work together to take Rwandan music to greater heights.
At the time, Coach Gael had just launched his 1:55AM record label and was looking for potential musicians to work with, and The Ben fit the bill.
“Coach signed producer Madebeats to the label and helped The Ben with various projects that later turned out to be successful,” a trusted source, who requested anonimity, told The New Times.
According to the source, the two worked together in peace until Coach Gael invested over $75,000 in The Ben’s project to feature Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnmuz, which resulted in ‘Why’, a smash hit.
Earlier this year, producer Madebeats, who worked with both parties and produced the song behind the beef, shed light on the feud, revealing that Coach Gael was the one behind what was said about The Ben, testifying that he was motivated by anger becaus The Ben refused to pay him the money he used during the making of ‘Why’.
He said that Coach Gael is reportedly demanding between $75,000 – $100,000 (between 75 -100 Frw million) from The Ben, which is the crux of the problems between the two.
In a voice note leaked on social media he said: “Gael continued to be upset by The Ben’s refusal to pay him, which he took as an insult. He always wanted to break through the wall and tell people what had happened and how the money he gave him disappeared from the sanctuary”.
This, according to the UK-based producer, is behind the long-running beef between the two big names in Rwanda’s music industry, a move that has also caused many players in the same sector to take sides.
The Ben’s Burundi show may be cancelled
According to various reports in Kigali and various media houses, Coach Gael is working with authorities in Burundi to have The Ben’s concert in Bujumbura cancelled or force him to pay what he owes.
It is reported that The Ben was paid over 40 million Rwandan francs to headline the concerts scheduled for September 30, and 1 October.
It is also said that Coach Gael is angry that The Ben is making multi-million dollar deals and has completely refused to pay him, a move that will make him do anything to get both shows cancelled.
The Ben will not be the first Rwandan musician to have a show cancelled due to debts, Bruce Melodie, who is managed by Coach Gael, was also arrested on arrival in Bujumbura after one of the promoters in Burundi accused him of breaching a contract in 2018 when he failed to show up for a gig despite collecting fees.
Will The Ben’s show in Burundi go ahead despite the allegations, only time will tell…