The music industry of Ghana faces constant copyright disputes since several prominent musicians face sampling and content borrowing accusations even without appropriate clearance. The awareness about copyright laws is expanding among musicians, so new artists from gospel choirs to mainstream rappers are joining the list.
The 2020 legal trouble for Mr. Drew began when American-Nigerian musician Rotimi accused him of illegally using “Love Riddim” for his song. The version of “Eat” that Mr. Drew released with Stonebwoy as the collaborator gained fast recognition. The dispute between these parties resulted in public apologies while streaming platforms removed the song from their platforms. Mr. Drew later revealed his ignorance regarding copyright law regulations during that particular time.
Secondly, the gospel band Team Eternity encountered controversy when supporters levelled plagiarism accusations against their popular song “Defe Defe,” whose lyrics they allegedly copied from Hallelujah Voices. The popular music producer Kwame Mickey used Facebook Live in 2024 to directly accuse the group. The dispute between both parties led to private negotiations, which resolved the online controversy.
The famous Ghanaian rapper Medikal finds himself under investigation for copyright violation as he faces multiple claims. The musical group Alabaster Box has accused Medikal of unauthorized sampling in his song “Welcome to Africa” that started from the first 10 seconds of his release “Akwaaba”.
To that effect, Group representatives have ordered Medikal to take down his song and reveal every monetary gain connected to it.
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In 2024, MOG Beatz sparked national attention by accusing Deon Boakye of illegally using one of his production tracks. MOG initiated legal proceedings since he believes creators need proper recognition and respect for their work.
The respected Ghanaian rapper M.anifest also faced a copyright dispute in 2013 by producer Ivan Duran as M.anifest used his beat from “Someway Bi.” M.anifest took ownership of his mistake by providing credit to Duran for his work.
