Bruno K presses Black Market Records over Shs 1.5 billion owed to Tenge

Singer Bruno K has intensified his campaign to secure what he says are unpaid earnings belonging to child social media star Tenge Tenge, accusing Black Market Records of failing to account for more than Shs 1.5 billion allegedly generated from the youngster's viral song.

The singer, in a post, demanded that the record label explain how revenues from the Tenge Tenge sound were used.

"Black Market Records should explain to the world where they put the 1.5 billion Ugandan shillings they made from The Tenge Tenge sound," Bruno wrote.

He alleged that the company distributed the song without securing a contract with Tenge Tenge or obtaining permission from either the youngster or his management.

Bruno attached what appeared to be a digital impact and revenue report claiming that the Tenge Tenge sound generated hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms and billions of cumulative impressions worldwide.

According to the document, the sound spawned millions of user-generated videos across YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels. 

The report estimates that the broader ecosystem around the viral trend could have generated between $8 million and $90 million in value, depending on the measurement model used.

However, Black Market Records declined to publicly address the financial allegations.

In a response shared on X, the company said it does not discuss confidential or proprietary business matters on public platforms.

"Hello Bruno, we do not discuss confidential or proprietary business information on public platforms. If there are concerns that need to be addressed, please direct them through the appropriate channels," the company said.

The latest dispute comes amid growing controversy surrounding Tenge Tenge's finances and management.

Earlier this week, reports emerged that the 12-year-old content creator, whose real name is Rango Tenge Tenge, had lost access to his social media accounts following a fallout between his family and former manager Michael Kabonge.

Tenge Tenge is one of Uganda's biggest online personalities, boasting more than 4.2 million YouTube subscribers, 9.6 million Instagram followers and 10 million TikTok followers.

His father recently accused Kabonge of taking control of the accounts and withholding earnings generated through the platforms.

The family claims they have struggled to pay school fees despite Tenge Tenge's global success. They allege the last significant payment from the accounts was made several years ago.Kabonge has denied wrongdoing and insists he created and built the accounts from scratch.

He argues that he regularly shared proceeds with the family and recently facilitated payments worth about Shs 70 million from ambassadorial deals.Bruno K has emerged as one of Tenge Tenge's strongest supporters during the dispute.

He has organised fundraising efforts, helped raise money for the youngster's education and publicly pushed for greater transparency regarding earnings generated from the viral star's online content.