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Johannesburg - The beef between former BFFs Nathi Mankayi and Vusi Nova seems to go far deeper than what meets the eye.
This week, award-winning muso Mankayi vowed to not work with his Afro-pop star ex-friend Nova again as long as the latter was still with independent recording label Muthaland Entertainment, which he left last year.
“I will not work with Vusi,” the soft-spoken musician told City Press during a visit to our offices. He was accompanied by his wife, Mpho and his manager, China Mpololo, among others.
“Ayikho nencinci ingxaki phakathi kwami no Vusi (There is no “beef” between Vusi and I). The only problem between us is Muthaland. I cannot work with Vusi while he is still there,” he said.
The two used to be very close but things changed when Mankayi left Muthaland and joined Gallo.
The father of a 1-year-old daughter said working with Nova would look as if he was enriching Muthaland.
“I cannot even write songs for him anymore, because they won’t be for him but the company. If I help him, I will be feeding my enemies,” said Mankayi.
Mpololo chipped in to say: “They cannot work together because anything that goes to Vusi’s side will benefit the company.”
However, Nova later hit back, saying he was tired of Mankayi’s public utterances.
“This is not about working together at all. The fact here is Mankayi had a misunderstanding with the label, not even with me. But I started seeing signs that he has an issue with me as well. I did confront him and asked if he has an issue with the company, where do I feature and why is our friendship on the line because he has a problem with the company? He could not explain that to me,” said Nova.
“He is a grown man, so I am not gonna say ‘Oh, please be my friend’. I am annoyed with him. I am just really annoyed with this whole situation.
“He tells people that we talk because he doesn’t have an answer to why we don’t talk. He is on top of a horse somewhere. I told him that I am gonna make sure that the world knows who he is. This guy came here, he was staying between my house and our manager’s house, and now all of a sudden he thinks that he is God,” said an irritated Nova.
Mankayi said that since he left Muthaland he has been happy and content and has started his own company, Mankayi Media. He has also signed his sister Amanda, whom he features on his latest album.
“I am very happy because I am not under Pharaoh’s hand anymore.
“Muthaland did not make me. They forget that when they met me, I already had a full album and any company could have worked with me. I am not like an artist they got from the streets. They did not want to sign me because they did not believe in my music, but as time went on they took things that did not belong to them,” claimed Mankayi.
He said he was robbed of money, and also claims he was blocked from gigs and interviews by Muthaland.
“They would say I was busy or fully booked and suggest Vusi or Ntando. I told myself that my talent does not depend on them.”
A fuming Muthaland founder Lance Stehr said the allegations were not true.
“Nathi knows the truth. He has received over R6.4m in a period of 18 months. If we robbed him, how did he buy his house, cars, cattle and who paid maintenance for his five kids? asked Stehr.
“We have said to him if he feels there is a problem he should get legal advice and take us to court. The truth is there in black and white.”
