South African DJ Akio Kawahito is going viral for his stance on child support payments. In a recent tweet, Kawahito said that if he books an artist who owes child support, then he'll pay that artist's performance fees directly to the mother of the children.
If I book your baby daddy for a show and he owes you child support, hit me up and I’ll pay you his fee directly.
— Papi Gonzalez (@Akio_Kawahito) June 12, 2019
"If I book your baby daddy for a show and he owes you child support, hit me up and I’ll pay you his fee directly," Kawahito, founder of nightlife brand Kool Out Entertainment, said in a tweet last Wednesday.
As expected, not everyone is happy about Kawahito's stance, but he's just as quick with his comebacks.
"A seemingly noble act leading to breach of contract," one user tweeted, to which Kawahito responded, "This is why we stay one step ahead of you bro. Moving forward, this clause will be included in all contracts."'
This is why we stay one step ahead of you bro. Moving forward, this clause will be included in all contracts. ????????
— Papi Gonzalez (@Akio_Kawahito) June 13, 2019
Some wondered if it was constitutional to refuse someone employment based on their refusal to cooperate with such a clause, especially when labor is used to "pay creditors without a court order."
Kawahito just promised to keep it discreet.
"We're just helping them pay what they owe. They are more than welcome to take us to court and make their dead beat ass public record," he said.
From our side, we'll keep it discreet. Objective is not to embarrass someone. We're just helping them pay what they owe. They are more than welcome to take us to court and make their dead beat ass public record.
— Papi Gonzalez (@Akio_Kawahito) June 14, 2019
In an interview with OkayAfrica.com, Kawahito said that the idea for the clause came from conversations he's had with women over a period of time:
"One thing that used to piss me off was when a promoter or client was dodging a payment to me, but at the same time was flossin' on the gram. Now, imagine that your baby daddy is doing the same thing with school fees or nappy/formula money," he said. "If you don't have the money, that's one thing. If you have the money and aren't paying, that's another."
Kawahito said that he's still working on the contract, but once it's complete, he'll share it publicly, as it'd be cool for other promoters to follow suit.
"The point of this isn't to embarrass some dude," he said. "It's to help push child support payments or, at the very least, make people think about it."
Garnishee order pic.twitter.com/wQCbDAQWYb
— Financial Advisor… (@glspeckman) June 13, 2019
In 2018, Kawahito was nominated for the South African Hip Hop DJ Of The Year Awards.
