20/08/2025
On point our President....
R.I.P MAGICIAN A.K.A E-TALLIK...
SPEECH BY ZAMBIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSICIANS PRESIDENT BRIAN BWEMBYA AT THE FUNERAL OF EMMANUEL "MAGICIAN" MKOMBWE.
19/08/25
THE ZAMBIAN MUSIC INDUSTRY IS DEEPLY SADDENED, DEVASTATED AND DISHEARTENED BY THE DEMISE OF OUR BROTHER EMMANUEL "MAGICIAN" MKOMBWE. THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR HAS LOST A GENIUS WHO DID NOT ONLY HELP SHAPE THE INDUSTRY BUT ALSO HELPED DEFINE IT.
THE ZAMBIA ASSOCIATION OF MUSICIANS REMEMBERS MAGICIAN AS AN ARTIST WHO CAME ON THE SCENE BACK IN 2007 WHEN HE WAS JUST A 19-YEAR OLD RAPPER AND BEATMAKER WHO WAS ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC. HE TALKED MUSIC, WALKED MUSIC AND LIVED MUSIC IN EVERY ASPECT OF THE WORD. BUT HOW DID HE BECOME A GENIUS AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE?
EMMANUEL WAS BORN AN ARTIST, BUT HIS DECISION TO PURSUE MUSIC COMMERCIALLY WAS INSPIRED AND INFLUENCED BY HIS OLDER BROTHER, MISHECK, WHO WAS ALSO A RAPPER IN A GROUP CALLED THE DEADLY ELEMENTS (KNOWN AS ELEMENT 3 OF THE 8 ELEMENTS) IN THE LATE 90S. AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, MISHECK, AKA DE RADICAL, DID NOT ACHIEVE ANY SIGNIFICANT SUCCESS IN MUSIC, BUT AS A LOVING BROTHER, HIS LUKEWARM SUCCESS DID NOT MAKE HIM BITTER. INSTEAD, HE DECIDED TO RALLY BEHIND HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, EMMANUEL BY BECOMING HIS SPONSOR.
EMMANUEL WAS FIRST KNOWN AS E-TALLIC WHEN HE RELEASED THE HIT SONG "JUST ANOTHER GIRL" FEATURING MO, WHICH WAS INTRODUCED ON A SHOW CALLED HIP HOP TO ROCK YOUR BLOCK ON HONE FM BACK IN 2007. HE LATER FORMED A RAP GROUP CALLED FAMILIAR ALONGSIDE ANDYBOY, JUDY NENO, SLIM DON, AND DIRTY DEEDZ. THE PROLIFIC RAPPER E-TALLIC AND HIS GROUP FAMILIAR WENT ON TO WIN A PRESTIGIOUS BORN AND BRED AWARD FOR BEST RAP GROUP IN 2009, THE YEAR I MET HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. I MET E-TALLIC ON THE 10TH FLOOR OF FINDECO HOUSE, WHERE HE WAS RAPPING AND MAKING BEATS AT TYME LYNE ENTERTAINMENT, A FULL-FLEDGED MUSIC RECORDING STUDIO OWNED BY FORMER CYPHAR STUDIO RAPPER OMBANI "PETER PAN" SAKALA, AKA I.N.FERNO, AND CO-MANAGED BY NYNO.
HE PRODUCED MOST OF THE SONGS BY FAMILIAR AND LATER EXTENDED HIS PRODUCTION SKILLS TO OTHER ARTISTS. THE SONG "DRESS CODE" (I LOOK GOOD IN MY DRESS CODE) BY FAMILIAR MADE THEM THE FIRST ZAMBIAN RAP GROUP TO WIN A BORN & BRED AWARD. THEIR SONG "I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN" WAS ADOPTED BY THE KENNETH KAUNDA FOUNDATION, A MILESTONE THAT WAS PRECEDED BY THE SONG BEING NAMED MOST CONSCIOUS SONG AT THE 2009 BORN & BRED AWARDS.
IN LATER YEARS, E-TALLIC DECIDED TO FOCUS ON MUSIC PRODUCTION AND LATER CHANGED HIS NAME TO MAGICIAN. HE WENT ON TO PRODUCE NUMEROUS HITS UNDER STUDIOS VARUOUS STUDIOS SUCH AS TYME LYNE ENTERTAINMENT, DIGITAL X, SECRET RECORDS, FULL METAL SOUNDS, TRANSBLAST, AND HIS OWN CRYSTAL BALL ENTERTAINMENT WHICH HE CO-OWNED WITH RICO. MAGICIAN WAS WIDELY KNOWN FOR HIS SIGNATURE TAGLINE "THIS IS MAGICAL."
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE HIT SONGS HE PRODUCED:
1. THOUGHT OF YOU - MIC BURNER
2. NYULA YAKO (TAILOR MADE) - MAMPI
3. NIMPOPOKA - CHEF 187
4. PRO TWERKER - DJ COSMO
5. IN TOUCH - DJ COSMO FEAT. MIC BURNER
6. RUMORS - MIC BURNER FEAT. CACTUS AGONY
7. HAMBA NAWE - MANAS FEAT. RACHEAL (BEAT BY HIM)
8. I'M ALIVE - RUFF KID FEAT. ROZAY
9. TRY MY LOVE - MIC BURNER FEAT. ROBERTO
10. MOMENT - MIC BURNER FEAT. MIC BURNER
11. BACKSHOT - BOMBSHELL FT. TIEF0UR
12. BWETU BWETU - WILLZ MR NYOPOLE
13. GREEN LIGHT - JAY ROX FT. SLAPDEE,
14. SEVERAL HITS FOR ARTISTS LIKE KALADOSHAS, CLEO ICE QUEEN, CACTUS AGONY, CHIMIKA SECRET, THE LATE SOUTH AFRICAN HHP AND SEVERAL OTHERS, TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION.
DESPITE ALL THESE ACHIEVEMENTS, ONE THING ABOUT MAGICIAN IS THAT HE NEVER CARED ABOUT RECOGNITION. HE HELPED MANY PEOPLE, AND UNFORTUNATELY, HE ALSO GOT USED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T SHARE THEIR PROFITS WITH HIM. I WILL BE FAILING IN MY DUTIES IF I DON'T DISCLOSE ONE BIG SECRET WHICH YOU WERE NOT GOING TO DISCOVER. MAGICIAN WAS ALSO WHAT IN MUSIC TERMS WE CALL A GHOSTWRITER. YES, HE WROTE HITS FOR SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS AND YET HE DID NOT WISH TO TAKE CREDIT FOR IT. FELLOW ARTISTS, LET US RESPECT AND HONOR OUR PRODUCERS WHO MAKE US SHINE. LET US ENSURE THAT WE SHARE ROYALTIES. TO OUR PRODUCERS, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE RIGHT CONTRACTS AND ENSURE YOU HAVE SPLIT SHEETS TO FACILITATE FOR YOUR ROYALTY SPLITS WITH EVERY ARTIST YOU WORK WITH. LET US MOVE AWAY FROM OUR CURRENT ONE-OFF TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND THINK ABOUT LONG TERM CONTRACTS BEYOND THE STUDIO DAY.
THEY WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER MAGICIAN BECAUSE HE HAS GONE WITH HIS MAGIC, BUT HIS LEGACY LIVES ON THROUGH THE WORKS HE DID WITH OTHERS. THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WILL REMEMBER HIM AS THE MAN WHO GAVE ALL HE HAD IN ORDER FOR OTHERS TO BE HAPPY, A MAN WHO CHOSE TO BE IN THE BACKGROUND EVEN WHEN HE HAD THE ABILITY TO OUTSHINE EVERYBODY, AND A MAN WHO WAS DEFINED BY QUALITY AND CLASS IN AND OUTSIDE THE STUDIO BOOTH.
THE ZAMBIAN MUSIC FAMILY CONVEYS HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO OUR MOTHER MRS MKOMBWE, THE MKOMBWE FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND FANS OF E-TALLIK A.K.A MAGICIAN. REST IN PEACE OUR PRODUCER, RAPPER, SONGWRITER, MIX ENGINEER, CEO AND MUSIC EXTRAORDINARE MAGICIAN. R.I.P BROTHER.
