Motif Don: Why Kenyan artistes are famous but broke
Music producer Morris Kobia, alias Motif Di Don, has raised concerns over the growing number of Kenyan artistes who attain fame but later sink into financial struggles due to poor money management.
Speaking during an interview on Friday, August 22, 2025, Motif, who has worked with some of the biggest names in the Kenyan music scene, said the industry is filled with stories of artistes who once dominated the limelight but failed to sustain themselves because they lacked financial discipline.
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He explained that fame in Kenya often comes quickly, but without proper guidance, many artistes spend recklessly and end up broke despite their short-lived stardom.
“That is also why we are now partnering with financial companies, because in Kenya there are so many famous but broke artistes. It happens a lot, and most of the time it is because they could not manage their finances well,” he said.
He revealed that this reality has inspired him to partner with financial companies to create systems that can help artistes safeguard their earnings.
Motif noted that many artistes confuse management with exploitation, believing that managers only come into their lives to take money away.
He stressed that the role of a manager goes far beyond financial gain, pointing out that a genuine manager should act as a guide to ensure artistes remain disciplined and make sustainable decisions about their careers and finances.
“Artistes need to understand that having a manager is not about someone coming to eat your money. It is about someone helping you. I usually tell artistes not to want to eat money alone, because without guidance, you can lose it all.”
Unpaid work
Motif then revealed that much of his work in the industry has gone unpaid, particularly with artistes under the Arbantone label.
He said that while he has been making money on the side, he often chose to support emerging artistes without expecting payment.
According to him, he could not block anyone from pursuing success, so he would simply take them to the studio and help them record.
“Actually, what people have seen is just the work I have done, but many of those urban tone artistes I produced never paid me. I have been making my money on the side, but I usually say if I can support an artiste, I will.”
He added that he has released numerous songs for these artistes, many of which became popular, though he declined to mention specific names.
Motif noted that these artistes eventually went on to achieve success.
He further indicated that he plans to share more details about these experiences and the artistes he produced for free in his upcoming podcast.
“I cannot block someone from making it in life. So if a person comes to me, I just take them to the studio and record for them. There are so many songs I have released for artistes, and people have heard them, but I will not mention names. Those artistes I produced went on to make it. If I ever speak about such stories and the details of who I produced for free, I will share them on my podcast, which is coming soon,” he added.
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Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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