Sol Phenduka's regret: how a 'silly mistake' cost him the masters to his hit song 'Uhuru'
Sol Phenduka shares how a tough financial choice early in his career cost him ownership of his hit song 'Uhuru'.
Image: Instagram
Radio personality and podcaster Sol Phenduka has opened up about how he lost the masters to his hit song “Uhuru”.
Before songs like “iJager” and “Diqabang”, Phenduka released “Uhuru”, a tribal house classic that still gets club play today.
However, one decision he made early in his career cost him ownership of his work. The track, released in 2012 from his self-titled album, remains one of his most memorable songs.
When a fan posted a screenshot of the song on X, Phenduka responded with “Classic ♥️”, acknowledging the song’s legacy.
Another fan then asked if he owned the masters to the track, and his response revealed how he lost them.
Phenduka explained that he recorded the song at home on his laptop, including the rest of the album, but ended up giving up ownership when the label covered the production costs.
“No, I don’t own these masters. I made the song on my own at home in my living room on the laptop. In fact, the entire album. The label paid me for the production costs,” he said.
He added that at the time, he was in desperate need of the money and didn’t take time to understand what that meant legally.
By accepting the payment, the label automatically took control of the masters since they financed the project.
“I desperately needed the money then and didn’t bother to research the implications (they were probably in the contract somewhere ). By doing this, the label now owns the master because they have paid for the PRODUCTION.”
He admitted it was a mistake that came with a lesson, adding that the irony is the song’s title “Uhuru”, which means “freedom.”
In the music industry, “masters” refer to the original recordings of a song or album. Whoever owns the masters controls how the music is used, licensed, or reproduced.
According to experts, this means they earn from streaming, film placements, commercials, and other uses of the music.
For an artist, owning their masters means retaining creative and financial control over their work. When a label covers production costs, as in Phenduka’s case, ownership often shifts to the label unless otherwise stated in the contract.
Many local artists today have faced a fight to keep their masters because it determines who truly profits from their creations.