Ugandan media personality MC Kats has announced that he is done managing musicians, claiming years of investing his money, time and energy into developing artists’ careers left him feeling unappreciated.
The outspoken entertainer says he made significant personal and financial sacrifices to help several musicians gain recognition, only to feel forgotten by some of the same artists after they achieved success.
Speaking about his experiences, Kats insisted that he is financially stable and has no plans to return to full-time artist management. He added that he would only consider offering his services if someone specifically paid him for a particular assignment.
“Compared to what I have done for artists, there is no one who has done something for me that I can appreciate. I’m not broke, and I doubt if I will ever be broke. My property belongs to my children. I will no longer manage artists unless someone pays me to do something for them,” Kats said.
He further claimed that the musicians he signed contributed little of their own money towards recording music, producing videos or promoting their projects, leaving him to shoulder almost all the expenses.
According to Kats, the demands of promoting artists also affected his health. He claimed that he contracted tuberculosis while moving between bars to secure opportunities and exposure for the musicians he represented.
“All the artists I signed didn’t even invest just five per cent in any video, audio or promotion. I ended up contracting TB due to hopping from one bar to another while promoting their craft,” he said.
Reflecting on his contribution to Uganda’s music industry, Kats recalled the challenges he faced convincing upmarket entertainment venues to play local music at a time when some establishments were reluctant to give Ugandan artists airtime.
He said he repeatedly confronted bar owners and was sometimes thrown out of establishments while pushing for local music to receive greater attention.
Kats particularly highlighted his efforts to establish Ugandan music nights at Wave Lounge, describing the initiative as part of a wider struggle to create more opportunities for homegrown musicians.
“If I had not spent my time, money and efforts investing in artists and instead focused on my own businesses, I believe I would have been a very rich man,” he reflected.
He also claimed that many of the upcoming musicians he supported were financially struggling at the time, making it difficult for them to penetrate the entertainment industry.
Kats said he believed their eventual success would bring mutual benefits, but felt disappointed by how some allegedly treated him after gaining recognition.
“I believed that if we worked together and gained, they would share with me, but whoever benefits never returns. They instead look at you like a nobody,” he said.
His comments have reopened the conversation about the relationship between Ugandan musicians and the managers, promoters and other industry players who invest in developing their careers.
For now, Kats appears determined to leave artist management behind, insisting that his past experiences have changed his willingness to invest in musicians without a clear financial arrangement.
Read the full entertainment story at epageone.com — Entertainment Page One.