Kenyan rapper Femi One and Genge legend Mejja on set during the shooting of their now-viral video track, “Utawezana”
Earlier this week, local songstress Femi One was forced to respond to fans after the question of whether or not she should pay Tik-Tok famous social media influencer Azziad Nasenya for boosting the numbers on her “Utawezana” track which went viral last month.
This discussion was inspired by Femi One’s Instagram post during the weekend, where the artist was all joyous after the song surpassed over 5 million views on popular American video platform, YouTube.
In celebration, the female rapper further revealed that we should expect another banger soon following the success of the track which she made in collaboration with veteran “Genge” sensation Mejja.
Finally!! We are at 5million views …we can now release another one Yes?! https://t.co/6to5SbWFny
— Femione (@Femi_One) May 10, 2020
On Tuesday, the name Azziad was trending and it divided the opinion of Kenyans.
The debate went on for hours, with a section of netizens arguing that the song might not have been a chart-topper had the journalism student not made the TikTok choreography clips.
During this time, both Femi One and Azziad benefitted wholesomely from the sudden craze over the track.
The King Kaka Empire signee doubled in Subscribers while Azziad’s social media accounts blew up, which soon made her a national media darling.
She was invited for interviews on almost all major TV and radio stations in the country.
If you go to the Streets Right now and start asking who sang #Utawezana, I am sure most people will likely Say #Azziad and not Femi one. Femi One & Mejja made a Great song. That I give them. But Azziad gave the song the necessary push. It wasn't even 1M views before her video!
— BRAVIN YURI (@BravinYuri) May 12, 2020
Others strongly disputed this notion, maintaining both Femi One and Mejja were well accomplished and respected members of the music industry even before they released the video in April 2020.
They instead pointed out that Azziad Nasenya was, in fact, the biggest beneficiary of the wave since practically no one knew her before she hopped on the #UtawezanaChallenge.
Those who are saying Azziad deserves credits for marketing Utawezana are zombies. I knew the song even before she did the challenge but I didn't know the girl. So the song marketed #azziad
Truth be told two thirds of you couldn't be knowing her if it were not for the song. pic.twitter.com/qH48KVZub5— Diana Marua😍 (@dianamarua_) May 12, 2020
In her response, Femi One clarified that just like thousands other people Azziad only took part in the challenge and was fortunate that it went viral, which to her does not warrant financial compensation.
“The song was already trending on TikTok and that is why she did the challenge because she came across it…” – Femi One.
But as this controversial dispute rages on, many have been wondering, just how much money did the brilliantly-received video fetch Femi One and Mejja?
First, it is important to note that YouTubers are paid by AdSense, as opposed to the general assumption that you’ll be paid with YouTube.
AdSense monetizes YouTube, and it is probably Google Inc’s most valuable asset. Notably, YouTube earnings are usually based on the cost per mille (CPM).
It generally stands for the cost for every 1,000 impressions you make.
Reportedly, YouTube CPM is about $7.6, so for every 1,000 views, you will earn $7.6.
So how much does YouTube pay per view? YouTubers earn about $0.0076 per view.
With Utawezana hit song gaining 5 million views and counting, it totals to about Ksh. 3.8 million.
The payment rate for YouTube content is constant in all countries. But depending on specific currencies, the amount to expect varies.
