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Putting the record straight, Tsunami, formerly known as Paperweight, says they are busy recording their debut album as Tsunami and they have no gigs lined up for now. They urged all their fans to find out from them whether they will be performing before attending shows. In the photo are members of the newly formed Tsunami group, Oli-V (left) and Rudzani Ratshikhopha (right) with their manager, Mr Maano Mashabela.
“Stop using my name or face the wrath of the law”
News Date: 12 February 2010
Local rap sensation Rudzani Ratshikhopha, aka Paperweight, is breathing fire because unscrupulous promoters are allegedly using his name to draw crowds during their shows.
With anger written all over his face, Paperweight narrated his story at Mirror’s offices on Sunday morning. “I am sick and tired of these greedy people who use my name to draw crowds to their gigs. I would like to set the record straight that I do not know anything about these shows and I am not just taking them for a ride as I am not part of those shows,” he said.
Paperweight said news of his being billed for gigs without his knowledge started last year when he heard from fans that they were anxiously waiting to see him perform live at Tswinga during some June 16 celebrations. “I did not take it seriously; I thought they were just be joking as I had not seen any poster with my name, but the truth was still to come,” he said. He said he decided to do his own investigations and found out that it was true - they were using his name without his knowledge.
The last straw came last week when he once again received calls from his horde of faithful fans, congratulating him that he is to perform again after a long absence. “This came as a shock to me and I decided to confront my manager, Mr Maano Mashabela, who pleaded ignorance,” he said.
“We are busy with the recording of our debut album under the name Tsunami, and we have suspended all live shows. So far, we have no contract with any promoter; this is a shock to us,” he said. He promised the fans a new album in the near future and a single will be available at the end of the month. Manager Maano Mashabela said what the guys were doing was bad for their group as people would not trust them the next time they staged their own shows. “We might as well end up playing in empty halls and stadiums as people will think that we won’t turn up for shows. This is crippling in business,” he said.
He urged those who would like to know about the group or those who would like to do book to phone him at 071 465 6135.
Written by
Elmon Tshikhudo
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
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