Ringtone decries shortage of young gospel artistes, tells Guardian Angel to retire
By Cynthia Lodite, December 13, 2025Controversial gospel singer Ringtone Apoko has stirred debate once again, this time calling out the gospel industry for what he describes as a worrying shortage of young, fresh talent.
Speaking in a video shared on his official Instagram account on Saturday, December 13, 2025, Ringtone blamed veteran gospel artists for holding on to the spotlight for too long, claiming their continued dominance is stifling the growth of the next generation.
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He’s now urging older musicians to gracefully step aside and create space for youthful voices to rise and revive the genre.
“Guys, we need young blood in the gospel industry; tunahitaji young blood. Watu wazee kama Guardian hawawezi kutusaidia,” Ringtone said.
“Guardian, please retire kwa amani; tumekuachia hii kiti ikakushinda… Short Baba hata ukinyoa nywele aje tunajua mahali kipara yako huanzia,” he added.
“Sasa mimi kama kijana number one na ni Gen Z 001 wa gospel, sasa mimi sahii ni chairman wa Gen Z 001 wa gospel,” he declared.
Moji explains challenges
His remarks come months after gospel singer Moji Shortbabaa opened up about the internal struggles that gospel bands face when working under strict contractual agreements, revealing that such rigidity often clashes with the unique spiritual and personal dynamics of gospel music groups.
At the time, he spoke candidly about the challenges that contributed to the eventual split of their Kelele Takatifu band, a group that had been together for over a decade.
Speaking to the Iko Nini Podcast on Monday, August 4, 2025, Moji highlighted that the differences in personalities and work habits among band members were compounded by the difficulty of enforcing formal contracts in a gospel music setting.
“In gospel, there is a spiritual aspect where it cannot be very contractual. It is one thing to say, ‘Let’s do music,’ but if we are not in alignment spiritually and personally, then it creates tension,” he said.
Moji said that these misalignments resulted in members drifting apart, with each person pursuing their own agenda instead of moving forward as a united group.
“Because of that, it became just a case of everyone doing their own thing. Even during our tour in the United States, we were apart in some way, but it was strange because everyone was thinking about what was going to happen next rather than focusing on the music or the ministry,” he added.
He also revealed that the contractual constraints and lack of unity in vision created an environment where collaboration became difficult.
“We had been together for 10 years, but the split happened because people’s views on how things should be handled were different. There were differences in habits and personalities. Some wanted to handle things in a more businesslike, contractual way, while others felt the gospel needed a more spiritual approach without rigid,” he said.contracts.”