Nigerian Rapper Abstraktt Accuses Ex-Manager of Career Mismanagement
Nigerian rapper Abstraktt has publicly accused his former manager, Jemedafe Caleb Ukoli known as Partyboy Dafe, founder of KVLT WRLD, of years of career mismanagement, neglect, and self-interest after a six-year working relationship.
In a series of detailed posts on X on August 31, 2026, Abstraktt, born Isaac Afogie Ferdinand Ekheoveh, laid out grievances that he said he had stayed silent about for too long. He described operating like a fully independent artist—recording his own songs; handling styling, cover art, creative direction, shooting, and editing most videos—while KVLT was contractually entitled to 50 percent. “Why are you managing an artiste like you hate him,” he wrote. “Like u had a full artist in your hand But you dey manage me like say you hate me.”
Stalled project and lack of support
A central complaint concerns the Uncle Yellow EP. Abstraktt shared an old tracklist dated six years earlier and said the project was repeatedly delayed. After he re-recorded material in 2025 with collaborators including Fxrtune and Oladapo, the project was ready by September, only for Dafe to cite a lack of money. The EP eventually dropped in December 2025 under the KVLT imprint. Abstraktt alleged Dafe did not attend the listening party, opposed holding one, and ran no promotion because he was focused on parties. “we stalled UNCLE YELLOW EP for 5 years and the project was finally dropping and you couldn’t even make it count,” he posted.
He further claimed that on the actual release date he received no communication from his manager, and that KVLT later sent someone to discuss renewing the deal. Abstraktt said he designed, modeled, and marketed his own merch without taking a cut. He also referenced an earlier incident in which his manager prioritized clearing another artist’s record featuring Falz over his own.
Personal fallout and “healing”
Abstraktt said the relationship began as friendship—he performed at Dafe’s early events, including rap battles at Landmark while Dafe was in school, and appeared at Let’s Relate without payment. When he left the company after six years, he alleged Dafe insulted him. He described four months of being ignored after Dafe’s girlfriend accused him of hitting on her, an allegation he denied and said cost him opportunities. “Dafe you are a very wicked boy. cos you were my friend but you don show me pepper,” he wrote, calling the posts his “final phase of healing.”
A later post added that KVLT launched multiple parties during the contract period while treating his career as a side hustle. “It was never about money. U no just send.” He said another industry figure, Mr. Femi, tried to help with a next release but was made to feel unwelcome.
Who the parties are
Abstraktt, a Lagos-born rapper who blends hip-hop, Afrobeats, and soul, first gained wider attention with the 2019 political track “Allow Me To Rap.” He has released projects including The Yellow Tape (2024) and Uncle Yellow (2025). He has described himself as handling much of his own creative work while remaining signed.
Dafe, operating as Partyboy, built KVLT WRLD from high school parties into a Lagos-based 360 entertainment company involved in talent management, events Even In The Day, Let’s Relate, and artist development. The company has been associated with Victony (who later left), Llona, and DJ Six7even. Public profiles present KVLT as focused on nurturing African creatives and Gen-Z culture. No public response from Dafe or KVLT WRLD to Abstraktt’s posts was immediately available.
Broader industry pattern
Artist-manager and label disputes are a recurring feature of the Nigerian music business, often involving questions of investment, promotion, royalty splits, and attention given to developing acts versus more commercially immediate projects. Abstraktt’s account—self-funding core work while a 50 percent partner allegedly prioritized events—echoes complaints other mid-tier and independent-leaning artists have voiced about feeling sidelined. He framed the episode as closed, writing that he is “glad i’m over that even if it took me years” and signaling he is moving forward independently.
The posts quickly circulated among Nigerian music followers, with some commenters citing other recent artist-management tensions. As of early September 2026, the matter remains a one-sided public airing with no reported legal filings.
