This archive report was first published on 5 November 2019.
On November 5, 2019, Ethic Entertainment found itself at the center of a controversy after releasing their song 'Tarimbo', which featured lyrics that many deemed to be promoting rape.
The song's hook, sung by Rekles, included the line 'mimi hupenda chapa na Tarimbo mimi huchapa na nakanyaga na namwaga bila hata permission (i nut without permission)', sparking widespread outrage among Kenyans.
According to Ezekiel Mutua, the reason Ethic Entertainment was able to release such a song was because the public had allowed it. He made this statement in a plea, which can be read here.
Despite the song garnering over half a million views, the backlash against it and the group was intense. In response, Ethic Entertainment issued an apology, stating that they were remorseful for the song's content.
As a company under the management of AI Records, which is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, Ethic Entertainment was likely under pressure to issue a formal apology to maintain their standards.
