Blakk Rasta, the host of Black Pot on 3FM, has shared his thoughts on the ongoing controversy surrounding Ghanaian creatives demanding copyright compensation from American rapper, Drake.
As reported, Obrafour has filed a $10 million lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against Drake for copyright infringement in his 2022 song ‘Calling My Name’ off his ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ album. However, Mantse Aryeequaye, the founder of Chalewote Street Arts Festival, has claimed that the very soundbite on Obrafour’s song was used by the Grammy Award-winning rapper.
Blakk Rasta, reacting to the news on Thursday, April 20, 2023, highlighted that hiplife as a genre was birthed through heavy sampling of American songs.
He further pointed out that most early hiplife songs, including the ones brought to us by Reggie Rockstone, were all sampled. Blakk Rasta expressed his concern about American artistes and rappers demanding payment for copyright infringement in the wake of the global popularity of Afrobeat music, stating that if this happens, Ghana may have to sell its entire country to pay for the copyright claims.
However, Blakk Rasta urged Obrafour and Mantse to find a mutually beneficial way to settle the issue, rather than engaging in a contentious legal battle. He further alleged that both parties had met in the past but had failed to reach an agreement.