Caiphus Semenya Rattles AKA’s Grave, Demands Royalties For Sampled Songs
Renowned jazz icon Caiphus Semenya is currently seeking royalties for popular songs that late hip-hop artist AKA reportedly sampled without his consent in his two albums.
Semenya is reportedly requesting 50% of the royalties for two songs that AKA sampled without obtaining written consent from the 83-year-old musician.
The jazz star has issued an ultimatum to AKA’s record company, Sony Music, to either pay up or face the consequences.
A source with insider knowledge of the situation, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, has disclosed the details to Sunday World.
According to the source, Semenya was outraged last week when he discovered that AKA had sampled a portion of his classic track “Diary” without his permission.
“Diary” is among the popular tracks that the late rapper, Kiernan Forbes, also known as Supa Mega, had released prior to his untimely death.
“The old man felt that AKA disrespected him and his work because he had previously stolen his intellectual property but later apologised and promised to fix his mess. Sadly he did not.”
“So, when he heard that he sampled this one again without permission, he understandably blew his top and demanded royalties.”
In an interview with the publication, Semenya acknowledged that AKA had indeed used his music without obtaining the necessary permission.
He further stated that he had instructed his record company, Gallo, to address the issue of the late artist’s violation of his copyright.
Semenya also revealed that AKA had previously infringed on his copyright by sampling his song “Mmematswale” and releasing it as a remix on his “Touch My Blood” album roughly five years ago.
He explained:
“Basically, he was a nice young guy. He told me that he had done something wrong that he was not supposed to do.
“He apologised and asked how he could fix it. We spoke about it and he promised to fix things. I told him that the song was nice because music doesn’t have to be in one style.”
The highly-regarded percussionist expressed disappointment after discovering that AKA had once again used his music without proper authorization.
Semenya revealed that AKA had sampled some of the verses from his song and incorporated them into “Diary” without obtaining his permission, causing him great dismay.
He added that he is optimistic that the dispute will be resolved amicably.
AKA Gets Six Award Nominations at Metro FM Awards
Despite his passing on February 10th this year, the late South African rapper, Kiernan Forbes, also known as AKA, has received six nominations at the Metro FM Music Awards.
His album, “Lemons (Lemonade),” has earned him several nods, including Song and Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Hip Hop Artist, Best Male Artist, and Best Music Video.
