YO MAPS’ “BUDGET” MUSIC VIDEO HAS BEEN EDITED AND IS TO BE REPLACED AFTER CONCERNS OVER SOME SCENES
Yo Maps’ “Budget ft. Frank Ro, Dizmo & KingTec” music video is to be replaced with an edited version without a full takedown, following recommendations from the Zambia Association of Musicians (ZAM) and the National Arts Council.
The singer’s music video features two scenes of women caressing and kissing, which parents, guardians, and concerned members of the community deemed culturally inappropriate within the Zambian context and unfit for consumption by children who are fans of the artist’s work, as they may normalize the behavior.
In a statement issued by ZAM, the association said it upholds artistic freedom and creativity but recognizes the responsibility that comes with having influence such as that of Yo Maps, whose music videos receive millions of views from locally and abroad.
“As the saying goes, ‘With great power comes great responsibility,'” the association said.
They further added that they reached out to the singer, his team, and the music video director “Director Lo,” recommending the editing of the music video to align with Zambia’s cultural values and public expectations.
They also recommend an editing mechanism that would not require a full takedown of the video, avoiding affecting the video’s views as it has accumulated 1.3 million views so far.
Director Lo informed ZAM on April 30th that the video has been edited, the scenes deemed culturally inappropriate have been removed, and an earlier attempt to replace the video failed, but a new attempt is in progress.
“We continue to celebrate Yo Maps for his talent and contribution to Zambian music, even as we work collectively to uphold the integrity and decorum of our industry,” added ZAM.
As of the time of publication of this article, the music video, which is on YouTube, still contains the said scenes
