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The price of stardom: Diamond paid Sh650,000 to meet Davido
Tanzanian musician Naseeb Abdul Juma, popularly known by his stage name Diamond Platnumz, performs at Thika Stadium on December 2, 2018.
As a talent manager, Sallam SK has earned a reputation for not gambling on dreams; he invests in commitment.
Described as the strategic mind behind Diamond Platnumz’s successes, including the WCB Wasafi empire, Sallam insists that he has never given anyone a free pass in the music business, as Diamond found out at the beginning of their working relationship.
Diamond, who was beginning to taste stardom with “Kamwambie” and “Mbagala”, was eager to expand his reach across the continent.
Nigerian superstar Davido.
At the same time, Afrobeats was dominating Africa, with Davido topping the charts. Diamond was eager to collaborate with Davido in the hope that it would propel his brand beyond Tanzania.
However, every attempt to reach Davido hit a dead end. That’s when fate directed him to Sallam SK.
“I got a call from the late (talent manager) Ruge Mutahaba. He told me Diamond was desparately looking for Davido, but all the avenues they’d tried kept leading them to me. I was clear to him; I don’t do freebies. They offered me $3,000, which I refused. I told him if Diamond was serious, he’d need to raise it to $5,000 (Sh650,00).”
