News / National
Award winning Jah Prayzah admits to stealing song
12 Dec 2014 at 09:10hrs | Views
Musician Jah Prayzah has admitted that he copied the beat of his song "Mwanasikana" on the album "Tsviriyo" from Ghanaian musician Emmanuel Samini's 2007 hit track titled "Samini".
Jah Prayzah this week came under fire from critics on social media networks after an online publication accused him of 'stealing' the song.
The publication revealed the striking similarity between "Mwanasikana" and "Samini" and uploaded the two songs on their website, triggering a barrage of criticism and queries about Jah Prayzah's creativity.
The "Tsviriyo" hit-maker said the song is a soundtrack for an African movie that he watched when he was making his album in 2013 and fell in love with the beat.
"I was watching an African movie and I enjoyed the soundtrack. I did not know it was a released song (on the market). I just thought it was a track made for the movie. The beat was good and I was tempted to use it on one of my songs," he said.
He claims he did not know the composer of the song until he was alerted of the matter recently.
"I did not know about Samini and I did not know it was his song until a friend sent me a link of the track recently. He just told me to check the similarities between the songs and I realised it was the same track used it the African movie."
The lyrics of the songs are different but the similarity of the beats has exposed Jah Prayzah who won the Outstanding Video award for a video of the same song at National Art Merit Awards this year.
"Samini" was a hit in Ghana after its release in 2007 and the artist has toured various parts of the world.
He has performed alongside Sean Paul, Akon, Kevin Little, Shaggy, Wayne Wonder, Damien Marley , Bennie Man, Jay-Z, Chaka Demus and Steel Pulse. He collaborated with Steel Pulse and Etana from Jamaica. He has received international recognition and toured the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the Netherlands.
On the other hand, Jah Prayzah has been outstanding on the local music scene and has received many awards for his blossoming career.
He had done numerous local collaborations and went on a number of international tours. The issue of borrowing beats and lyrics from foreign artists is highly prevalent among local artists of various genres.
Samini reportedly said he would attend to the Jah Prayzah issue after relief from his current tight schedule.
Jah Prayzah said he would wait for Samini's action to map the way forward, adding he was not aware of the legal implications of copying a beat, and not the lyrics.
"I know that compositions, especially lyrics fall within copyright issues. I am not sure about matters involving beats. I will only comment on the legal issue if Samini approaches me," he said.
An official from Zimbabwe Music Rights Association said it is illegal to reproduce another artist's beat without permission. Artists who share beats are also expected to share royalties.
Jah Prayzah this week came under fire from critics on social media networks after an online publication accused him of 'stealing' the song.
The publication revealed the striking similarity between "Mwanasikana" and "Samini" and uploaded the two songs on their website, triggering a barrage of criticism and queries about Jah Prayzah's creativity.
The "Tsviriyo" hit-maker said the song is a soundtrack for an African movie that he watched when he was making his album in 2013 and fell in love with the beat.
"I was watching an African movie and I enjoyed the soundtrack. I did not know it was a released song (on the market). I just thought it was a track made for the movie. The beat was good and I was tempted to use it on one of my songs," he said.
He claims he did not know the composer of the song until he was alerted of the matter recently.
"I did not know about Samini and I did not know it was his song until a friend sent me a link of the track recently. He just told me to check the similarities between the songs and I realised it was the same track used it the African movie."
The lyrics of the songs are different but the similarity of the beats has exposed Jah Prayzah who won the Outstanding Video award for a video of the same song at National Art Merit Awards this year.
He has performed alongside Sean Paul, Akon, Kevin Little, Shaggy, Wayne Wonder, Damien Marley , Bennie Man, Jay-Z, Chaka Demus and Steel Pulse. He collaborated with Steel Pulse and Etana from Jamaica. He has received international recognition and toured the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, and the Netherlands.
On the other hand, Jah Prayzah has been outstanding on the local music scene and has received many awards for his blossoming career.
He had done numerous local collaborations and went on a number of international tours. The issue of borrowing beats and lyrics from foreign artists is highly prevalent among local artists of various genres.
Samini reportedly said he would attend to the Jah Prayzah issue after relief from his current tight schedule.
Jah Prayzah said he would wait for Samini's action to map the way forward, adding he was not aware of the legal implications of copying a beat, and not the lyrics.
"I know that compositions, especially lyrics fall within copyright issues. I am not sure about matters involving beats. I will only comment on the legal issue if Samini approaches me," he said.
An official from Zimbabwe Music Rights Association said it is illegal to reproduce another artist's beat without permission. Artists who share beats are also expected to share royalties.
Source - The Herald
