Ace Nigerian singer, Divine Ikubor aka Rema, has claimed that many of his colleagues are copying his branding and musical style.
He stated this in a recent interview with Rollingstone, adding that despite them not giving him credit, he was “flattered” that others are drawing inspiration from him.
The ‘Calm Down’ crooner has always been his dream to change the afrobeats music scene.
Rema said, “I’ve been on the road for 4 years back-to-back; dropping bangers, hopping on stages. It has helped my growth non-stop.
“In as much as vacation is needed, I just don’t like to feel idle. I have so much plans for evolving this [Afrobeats] sound. I’ve always been that guy who just want to change the guy and change how the game is perceived. From sound to shows, to branding.
“Even though some artists will not give me credit, I know how many people [artists] have copied my moves and I am flattered by it.”
In other news…
Ghanaian Hip Hop legend, Michael Elliot Darko aka Obrafour dragged Canadian rapper Drake to court for sampling his song without permission.
In 2022, Drake released the album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ and on the 6th track, ‘Calling My Name’, he sampled the 2003 remix of Obrafour’s ‘Oye Ohene’.
The Ghanaian artiste is suing him in a New York court, saying Drake infringed on his copyright when he sampled his song without seeking his approval.
The court documents read; “Defendants released the Infringing Work on June 17, 2022, despite the fact that an agent of one or more Defendants had previously contacted Obrafour seeking to obtain Obrafour’s permission for the use of the Copyrighted Work in the Infringing Work.
“Obrafour never granted Defendants permission to use the Copyrighted Work and the Infringing work was released mere days later”.
He said the ‘Hotline Bling’ hitmaker and other defendants in the suit have greatly benefited from the proceeds of the song since its release. The Ghanaian musician demanded $10,000,000 (Ten Million Dollars) in damages among others.
