Saudi: I’m proud of Emtee for leaving Ambitiouz but I won’t

Emtee's close friend and former label mate Saudi has defended the rapper's decision to leave Ambitiouz Entertainment and claimed the star was not appreciated enough by the label.

Emtee left Ambitiouz in August after several years at the label. He has since been vocal about the lack of support he received while with Ambitiouz and how even the awards he won were kept from him.

Saudi is still at the label but told TshisaLIVE that he was proud of his friend for leaving it. He warned that Ambitiouz could suffer more losses to its credibility if it repeated the mistakes made with Emtee.

“He was not appreciated enough for what he did for the company and that is a fact. I think it was a learning curve for the whole company and if they do not pay attention to it they will make the same mistake again,” Saudi said.

He said that there was no tension between himself and Emtee, despite Saudi staying with Ambitiouz.

“We met in 2015 and we have been making music ever since. Our pact has made us closer than siblings. There is nothing that could break that bond between us. African Trap Movement (the pair's crew) is in my blood. It is not business, it’s family.”

Saudi has been making waves himself, and after winning over international audiences with his track on the Black Panther soundtrack last year, he is a leading curator for Bacardi's new “Sound of Rum” campaign.

Saudi said he was honoured to align himself with such a great brand and bring a new dimension to the campaign.

He said he was looking forward to working with the brand more, going forward.

It hasn't all been smooth sailing for Saudi at Ambitiouz and he felt that his debut album Drugs was not pushed enough by the label, but he is staying put.

“The album was appreciated but I didn’t feel like it was promoted enough, but that is a lesson learnt and water under the bridge.

“I have no plans to leave Ambitiouz. I understand and respect those who have left the label because they had situations they needed to solve. I also have respect for Ambitiouz for letting us live our dreams and take my career into my own hands. They also allowed me to own my own publishing,” he said.