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Bien shares video of Sabato mocking him as ‘Finale’ hits 20M views
28th April, 2026 07:38 PM
Bien has shared a video of music critic Sabato dismissing his collaboration with Tanzanian star Alikiba, posting it as Finale crosses the 20 million views mark on YouTube.
In a statement accompanied by the video on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, Bien thanked his fans for their support and sent special plaudits to God.
“Thank God for the infinite blessings he continues to send our way. To the fans who are the wind beneath our wings. Thank you for 20 million,” he writes, before closing with: “Na bado WATATIIIIIIII” loosely meaning “and there is still more to come,” Bien shared.
Subtle swipe at Sabato
In the clip, Sabato questions Bien’s track record working with Tanzanian artists, saying in Sheng: “Hii track nimeipatia miezi mbili, miezi tatu mtakuwa mmeisahau” loosely translated: “I give this track two or three months, and you will have forgotten about it.”
Bien’s response is the counter in the same video, which shows the YouTube view count climbing from one million to 20 million in 31 days.
He also cheekily added, watatii, in a subtle response to Sabato.
The song’s chart run
Released on March 25, 2026, ‘Finale’ is a record-breaking East African collaboration featuring Kenyan powerhouse Bien and Tanzanian Bongo Flava icon Ali Kiba. Produced by Abbah Process and filmed in Nairobi, the track is a high-energy victory lap and a long-awaited reunion for the two artists, marking their first major link-up since 2016’s ‘Unconditionally Bae.’
The song made history as the first Kenyan release of 2026 to surpass 1 million YouTube views in under 24 hours, fueled by a viral dance challenge and a music video packed with heavy-hitter cameos like Khaligraph Jones and Dennis Ombachi.
The song reached number one on Apple Music and YouTube in Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa, and also charts globally.
The collaboration marks a significant moment for Bien, who is best known as a member of Kenyan group Sauti Sol. Sabato’s original critique centred on what he described as Bien’s failure to produce hits from previous collaborations with Tanzanian artists.
A statement in two languages
On his YouTube channel and social media platforms, Sabato has frequently targeted Bien and other members of the former Sauti Sol.
He has often criticised Bien’s solo trajectory, claiming at times that the ‘magic’ of the group was lost and that Bien relies too much on international trends rather than ‘authentic’ Kenyan sounds.
Bien has generally maintained a stance of ‘selective ignorance’ toward Sabato, but has occasionally used social media to label him and similar critics as clout chasers who profit from negativity.
The 20 million milestone arrives well past the expiry date Sabato set for the song.
Where Sabato expected ‘Finale’ to fade within two to three months, it instead grows into one of the bigger East African crossover records of the year. And by Bien’s own word, the run is not over.
