Great reckoning as Ramco, Matsieng reunite
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday July 3, 2020 15:44
The group, however, reunites without its former lead singer, Ditiro Leero, who left just before the release of their album following a fall-out with Ramco. There was expectation from Matsieng fans that Leero would also be part of the new set up as he has been performing with Matsieng at music shows around the country.
Having Leero possibly return for the reunion has heightened expectation for the group to replicate and reignite its classic 2006 Setswana Sa Borre magic.
It was not immediately clear if Leero’s return could also fan the flames of a long-standing feud between the former lead singer and the producer.
It was reported then that the feud between the two started after DT, as his fans call him, left the group to go solo.
Reports then stated that Ramco deduced Leero’s departure as revolt on the lead’s part, for having to share the spotlight, particularly against Kgwasimo, now Morwa Tsankana, who was lead in Matsieng’s hit song Tinto and was pegged for lead again. Judging by Ramco’s recent Facebook posts, it seems there is still no love lost between the two.
When Leero sang Kgosi Lepenyola from his debut solo album Molemo wa Kgang following his departure at Eric Ramco’s record label, it was not just a hit song to announce his new arrival as a solo artist. It was a bold statement. Kgosi Lepenyola was a track to disparage his former producer and manager, Ramco.
The song depicted a picture of a composer surviving a dictator’s iron fist rule. Ramco had also made statements that were understood to attack the former.
Almost 14 years later, the feud is now likely to resurface as Eric Ramco has gone on to denigrate DT. While Ramco seems in form to hype the new project, he has not responded kindly to fans asking him of DT’s part in the new project.
“Mme kana this is going to be a BIG album. My name is ERIC RAMCO. And the group is MATSIENG. The Engineer/Co Producer is PAUL KETSHABILE. What that means is gore all you so-called fans tsa ga DT are FU****. DT NEVER SANG TINTO. We are looking for another TINTO.
So you are all wasting your data trying to push Ditiro into this group.
Tota e bile le a mo senyeletsa cause I won’t even call him go opa lebogo or monwana. So you all can kiss my Phaphane skinny a**,” he wrote in one of his Facebook posts. Ramco clearly has not forgotten the Kgosi Lepenyola’s bad blood given his Facebook clap back at a fan that suggested Matsieng would be incomplete without Leero. He quoted some of the lyrics from the song, saying that on its own was enough to seal the deal that they cannot work together.
Meanwhile Ditiro, who now has five solo albums under his belt, has said he would absolutely not be persuaded to respond to his former manager’s Facebook statements because they are only hearsay to him.
In a brief telephone interview, he said he was not aware of Ramco’s comments because he was not active on Facebook.
“I can’t comment or respond to that (post) because it’s only hearsay to me.
We don’t talk, so he has not said those things to me. I only hear about it from people because I’m not active on Facebook,” he said.