Sounding Off
He’s probably one of the most natural comedians in the range of new content creators. Layi Wasabi was trending throughout the weekend because of his new skit “Copyright Infringement.’’ The skit shows him as the protagonist in the role of a lawyer attempting to represent a disgruntled artist. The artist claims that some of his lyrics had been stolen by another artist. While negotiating the fees, he tells the lawyer that a certain percentage of his sales from music streams will be used to offset the legal fees. Seeing that the artist cannot afford an advance fee, the lawyer advises the artist to let go of the suit, slamming him with more insults for being an up and coming artist in his 40s.
This joke trended on the social media and received loads of admiration and positive comments. What made this joke more profound is the fact that it is a lampoon on the recent copyright claim by the former leader of the Plantashun Boiz, Blackface. In an interview, Blackface alleged that the sensational singer, Asake has copied some of his rhymes and tweaked his lyrics to make the song, ‘Joha.’ Incidentally, this isn’t the first time that Blackface would make such claim. In fact, he has made more name for himself as a serial copyright claimant than as an artist in recent years. Many GenZs would likely see him as a hater- hating on successful artists.
Remember the legal battle with his former bandmate, Innocent Idibia popularly known as Tuface? Rather than earning the respect of the music community, Blackface was repeatedly ridiculed in the media for his long tussle to be credited as the songwriter for the international hit, ‘African Queen.’ The merit of his argument was sacrificed on the altar of revilers.
In truth, fighting for copyright should be a collective battle among artists and maybe, should not be made a subject of joke. Copyright infringement is a human right violation. Comedians need to learn that some boundaries are sacred. If you have worked really hard to create a work of art and someone easily steals your idea, parades it as his, makes a fortune out of it, you have a right to speak up and demand for your due.
On the flip side, any kind of music that is influenced by hip-hop would likely have some elements of sampling. The idea of sampling lines is not new in popular music and sometimes, they end up in court or on diss tracks. Recently, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran was hurled to the court for his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ which sounded very similar to the classic ballad by Late Marvin Gaye. The fact that this legal battle ensued even after the demise of the singer lends to the seriousness of copyright infringement. Copyright is meant to be protected. That is why the estate of most artists protect the works of the legends long after their life course.
Let’s also take a moment to reflect on the insensitivity of the joke- up and coming rapper. I would recommend that anyone who has not seen Remi Vanghan-Richards’ documentary movie, ‘Faaji Agba’ should endeavor to see it. It is arguably the most expository music documentary done by any Nigerian filmmaker. The docu-movie is a six-year journey trailing seven artists- ages 68 to 85- and their struggles to have a voice in popular culture. Many of these artists, though long forgotten, had paved the way for most famous artists of our generation. You will likely know names like King Sunny Ade, Chief Ebenezer Obey and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti but you may have a hard time making young folks understand that Seni Tejuosho, Fatai Rolling Dollar, Sina Ayinde Bakare were some of the pioneers of Agidigbo or palmwine music that preceded popular genres like Apala, Juju and Fuji.
But these pioneers did not enjoy as much commercial success as their successors. This has always been the trend.
However, many young people tend to think that their generation have done better with music than their predecessors. Maybe just in commercial success, they are right. Most of the older artists- due to lack of education- had been exploited by post-colonial record labels that milked their fame. Sadly too, the distribution of music lacked structure before the advent of streaming sites. With technology empowering young people to become income earners, they make a mockery of the artists who had struggled and sometimes died as unaccomplished artists.
That an artist never had his eureka moment does not mean he should be the butt of internet jokes. It is insensitive and should be condemned. The reality of life is that it is not the best of artists who make the most commercial success. For whatever reasons, some artists lose the will to keep pushing hard; some may even self-sabotage. For Layi Wasabi, stay away from offensive jokes. Everyone leaves the stage for others to shine. Respect your moment.
-Written by Yinka Olatunbosun, a culture journalist.
