Daddy Daddy Records founder and artist Gift Chirwa, popularly known as Subsabala, has opened up about his departure from 408 Empire, alleging that his fallout with rapper Y Celeb was fueled by selfishness and jealousy.
Speaking during an interview on the Komboni Podcast, Subsabala claimed that Y Celeb often used members of the group to boost his own popularity while failing to support others within the crew.
“From 2016 to 2026, Y Celeb still disses us in his music, even when we were together in 408 Empire,” he said.
Subsabala said tensions had existed for years, even during their time together in 408 Empire.
The artist alleged that Y Celeb developed an attitude of superiority as the group grew, creating divisions among members.
“When you are more than four people in a crew, you will find that some become pompous and feel more entitled than others, and that was Y Celeb,” he said.
Subsabala further claimed that he played a significant role in supporting Y Celeb during the early stages of his career.
“I used to push him by buying clothes, food and helping him get to the studio,” he said.
According to Chirwa, he remains on good terms with most former 408 Empire members, but his relationship with Y Celeb remains strained.
He revealed that he is preparing to release a new album, which will include songs directed at Y Celeb as part of their ongoing feud.
“I will release an album soon dissing him as payback,” he said.
Despite the controversy, Subsabala said his music career extends beyond diss tracks, adding that he has new projects featuring popular artists Jemax and Chile One MrZambia.
“I have other songs apart from beef songs with Y Celeb. My new songs are featuring Jemax and Chile One,” he said.
Meanwhile, the interview sparked mixed reactions from social media users. Some expressed hope that former 408 Empire members could eventually reconcile.
One commenter wrote
“The 408 Empire crew miss each other and they can be on good terms if there is someone to connect them ,Subsabala is a good guy and Y Celeb is a problem. He even dissed Ray Dee in the song Whose Ghat Nando.”
However, others questioned Subsabala’s motives, with one commenter suggesting that the artist was seeking attention from his former colleague.
“Subsabala is trying to get Y Celeb to help him blow, but it seems Y Celeb refused and that’s why he’s saying things about jealousy,” the commenter said.