By Kennedy Nyavaya
Multi AWARD-WINNING rapper Desmond Chideme, popularly known as Stunner, says musicians should take advantage of their popularity to set up various businesses aside from the recording studio.
The influential musician has, for the past few weeks, been using fiercely advertising and personally selling his VVVTT (Vapfana Vechidiki Vane Tunhu Twavo)-branded merchandise to scores of people in the city.
“In any business it is important to expand or have other branches. If you want to make it you have to have all kinds of businesses, you cannot just stick to one thing like music,” he told Standard Style.
US billionaire rapper Kanye West recently topped headlines for becoming the richest hip-hop artiste owing to his music and Yeezy sneaker brand while closer to home, South African artistes Cassper Nyovest and AKA have been making money off their own brands too.
With hundreds of thousands of followers across social media, the Ndoenda singer said artistes needed to diversify and use their influence to sustain their lives particularly under the Covid-19 circumstances.
“Look at [the situation] now where we have the pandemic, there are no performances and everything has basically stopped so you need a fallback plan because it is very important for you to be doing something else that will support your music in case a situation like this arises,” said the 40-year-old lyricist, urging younger artistes to look beyond social media hype.
“It is a different story when you have followers because you have hype and when you want to have people that actually want to be associated with your label because you can be an artiste but will not be a strong label.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“So, I say have a foundation besides calling them followers. They have to be like family and you have to know that they will stick by you whenever you try and do something so it is very important to have a relationship with your friends and not treat them as just consumers.”
Explaining the irony of a snippet video that emerged recently where he sold merchandise to person believed to be his arch nemesis Mudiwa Hood, the father of two said apart from being retrogressive, local beefs have no benefit.
“I am a businessman I am not going to stand and say I have beef with someone, so we cannot do something. If there is an opportunity to make money or move forward, something that is positive, you get on it,” said Stunner.
“Music is just work, this whole beef thing in Zimbabwe it really does not work. It is a very small industry if we can call it that, but it does not make sense to have beefs.”
Describing the current VVVTT crusade as “an advert to greater things”, Stunner said he is determined to grow his brand and will soon be launching a winter collection of his clothing label.
