This archive report was first published on 10 July 2020.
Media personality Amina Abdi Rabar has spoken out about her decision to leave the music industry, citing rampant bribing as the main reason.
Before joining the media, Amina's first love was music. She showcased her talent with songs such as On Me, featuring Jay A, and Swag, featuring Octopizzo.
However, Amina, who hosts the weekly show The Trend on NTV, would quit music almost immediately to focus on building a career in the media and establishing herself as a sought-after emcee.
Published on July 10, 2020, Amina revealed in a conversation with Vybz Yaard that the bribing she experienced in the industry was a major factor in her decision to leave music.
“It was the bribing you had to do and because I was on radio and no one was paying me to play any of the music. I didn’t expect that. It really caught me by surprise,” Amina said.
She also mentioned that making music was an expensive venture, with costs such as high-quality video production adding up quickly.
“There was lack of support and then it was very difficult to get started. They say there is a certain video type of quality that can be played on air. A good quality video, how much is it? By that time when I was releasing Paint Town Red I was told 300K and I’m making sijui 15K. It was really hard and TV and radio was picking up. I could see the potential it had, so that’s what I focused on,” said Amina.
Amina plans to make a comeback to music as a hobby, while maintaining her core hustle in the media.
