Harmonize attracted the ire of Tanzania’s Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) after releasing the controversial ‘Weed Language’ song.
The Bongo singer featured Jamaican Dancehall star Konshens in the new controversial song which praised marijuana use.
While speaking to journalists in Dar es Salaam, DCEA Chief Commissioner Gerald Kusaya on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, warned that strict measures would be taken against musicians who compose songs promoting the use of drugs.
“There are artistes who encourage the use of drugs including marijuana, while there are artists who think instead of composing songs to motivate their community they compose songs to encourage people to use drugs. We will take action against them. The law will take its course. One day I will call the press so that you can see what we have done to artistes who encourage drug use,” Kusaya said.
“Why don’t you encourage even good agricultural or business practices? Is it a must that they encourage marijuana use? We will not allow any Tanzanian to promote the use of narcotics” the commissioner added.
Apology
Harmonize was quick to apologize for dropping the weed song moments after DCEA read the riot act.
The singer, through his Konde Music Worldwide label, said that they would delete the song from all social media platforms.
“Due to the issue caused by the content of the song we apologize and promise to remove the song from all social networks. We also promise to improve our songs to be in line with our culture as well as the guidelines of the government authorities,” the statement from the management of Konde Music Worldwide reads in part.
Private video
Even though Harmonize’s management said they would delete the video from all platforms, they only locked it as private on YouTube.
When a video is locked as private, it won’t appear on the channel it was uploaded or in search results. The video becomes invisible to other users. None of the subscribers will see a video that is locked in private.
Private videos can only be seen by people who have been invited to view the video.
Weed Language
Harmonize’s controversial song premiered on YouTube on December 1, 2022, just after the singer warned he was about to release a weed song.
In the song, Harmonize and Konshens give the various names that marijuana is referred to in different countries across the world.
“How do you call weed in your language?” Harmonize sings repeatedly.
Before releasing ‘Weed Language’, Harmonize stated that he should be shot if he did not release a weed song this December.
“This December if I don’t make a song about weed shoot me,” Harmonize wrote on InstaStories.
