Have you listened to Alicia Key‘s Alicia album yet? Do yourself a favor if you haven’t already and get onto it. You will be entertained, enlightened, your thinking challenged; it’s a musical experience that you really can’t afford to miss out on.
Now let’s get down to business and talk about why we are really here, which is “Wasted Energy”, a track on the album that features Tanzania‘s Diamond Platnumz. What a time to be alive! The world is finally paying attention to Africa and this time round, for all the right reasons.
Wasted energy has proven to be a fan favorite especially in East Africa, making it one of the most played songs on the album. And while they love it, Diamond’s fans have been going ham at Alicia Keys, over the Wasafi Label CEO‘s 23 second stint feature on the song. So bad has it been that Keys’ husband, Swizz had to take to Instagram to ask for the Tanzanian star to calm his fans down.
According to Alicia and Swizz, Diamond had creative control and the stint contribution on the track was actually his choice. Even upon the request to speak up on how the collaboration went down, Diamond has remained silent about it, which has only aggravated the situation as his fans have kept dragging Alicia.
This reminds me of Keri Hilson and Lil Mama, who were both taken down by fans of Beyonce, Jay Z and Alicia Keys respectively. Beyonce, Jay Z and Alicia silently watched for years as their own fans relentlessly tore down Hilson and Lil Mama, leading to their eventual blackballing in the music industry. If you ask me, the price paid was way more than the crime committed (especially by Lil Mama).
OK, I know I’m reaching and it’s not exactly the same scenario. My point is that it’s impossible to ignore the power of fans and the huge role that they play in elevating or bringing down an artist. If anything, Wasted Energy is as successful as it is because of Diamond’s fans. If we’re being honest, they have pushed the song more than Diamond has.
Sure, Alicia Keys is a powerhouse with international influence and it might be hard for Diamond’s fans to bring her to a down fall. However, whether she chooses to acknowledge it or not, Africa, which contributes a bigger share of Diamond’s fanbase, does make up a considerable part of the music market. A withdrawal of Africa’s support could adversely affect the Alicia Keys brand. If not handled in the right way, this collaboration that ought to have solidified Alicia Keys in the African Music market (just as it has created a buzz for Diamond in the global music scene) could end up being disastrous.
If Diamond did have creative control and was allowed to do whatever he wanted to on the song, it’s unfair that he is not speaking up for Alicia Keys that has been subject to never- ending dragging by his fans. However, if that’s not how it went down, smart move, choosing to remain quiet on the issue.
What do you think? Let me know via the comments section down below.
afromuziq 
First off, I’ll admit ‘ve been saving this post to revisit cz I didn’t want to do a rush job reading.
Second, I haven’t listened to Alicia’s album (which has now been added to my long listening list)
Third: excited for a new post!!!!!!!
My thoughts: I think they should do a ‘making of’ type of documentary like they did for Shaggy’s ‘wasn’t me’. But when you think about artist featuring other artists on tracks, I don’t think it’s necessary for them to even show up for half the song, bigger names have been given credit for simply doing ad libs🤷🏿♀️. Should Diamond speak up? Maybe. However, it could also make things worse and create a snowball of ‘what-went-down-with-the-Alicia-collabo’.
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First off, always excited to get a notification of your comment.
What are you waiting for? The “Alicia” Album is FIRE!!!
You might actually be right about the situation getting worse from his speaking up. But then again, if he did choose to have the 23 second stint on the song, should he sit back and watch as the huge crowd he commands trolls Alicia because she did him a “disservice” with the collaboration?
(Double edged sword I guess)
You watched the “Wasn’t me” Documentary? I knew I liked you for a reason.
Hell Yes! A documentary like that would be one for the books.
Thank you for reading and saving the post just to ensure you gave it a proper read). Always…..(and I mean it…ALWAYS appreciated).
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