Deep London accuses Nigerian artist of copyright theft for Hamba Wena'

Deep London accuses Nigerian artist of copyright theft for Hamba Wena'A Nigerian artist named Smada is accused of copyright infringement for stealing the song Hamba Wena from duo, Deep London and Boohle.

by Amarachi Vivian

29-11-2023 15:27

in Celeb News

Nigerian singer, Smada, released a song sounding similar to Deep London and Boohle's song, Hamba Wena' triggering reactions on social media. Image via Instagram @supersmada / @realdeeplondon

Social media is awash with a torrent of reactions as the biggest amapiano contenders, Nigerians and South Africans, stirred old waters of debate over ownership of the genre. This started a month after the release of Smada Eh, a recent song from Nigerian artist, Smada, real name Adams Olabode Michael.

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The Nigerian singer's work was accused of being stolen from the Amapiano duo Deep London and Boohle's hit track Hamba Wena'.

Also Read: Karen Francis accuses Boity of copyright infringement for Bakae' single

After being quiet for a while, Deep London took to his Twitter page to announce he was suing Smada for copyright theft of his song. The Amapiano hitmaker quoted the Nigerian singer's promotional video on X, saying, The legal action against this @SuperSmada has been taken. This guy will pay. This is copyright infringement.

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CAN THIS CASE HOLD UP IN COURT? Despite the highly anticipated likelihood of a formal legal process and in-depth scrutiny, even a novice in copyright law can tell immediately that Deep London holds a pretty compelling case.

According to various social media users, Smada's song, which debuted on streaming platforms on 27 October 2023, has a glaringly similar rhythm, instrumentation, and flow to Deep London and Boohle's chart-topping amapiano track released in 2022. This leaves little doubt where the source of Smada's inspiration' came from.

Also Read: Young Stunna and Kabza De Small allegedly slapped with a lawsuit

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WHAT ARE NIGERIANS SAYING? Even though Nigerians seem to be fighting a losing battle on so many fronts, the vast majority of them still support Smada anyway.

Also Read: MultiChoice rubbishes Shaka Ilembe' copyright theft claims

One commented under Deep London's quote tweet, saying, South Africans don't own Amapiano anymore. The Nigerians own both Afrobeat(s) and the Amapiano. If you think against this, you can question the Grammys.

This and other reactions like it have triggered more arguments and debates between Nigerians and South Africans on social media.

Another social media user explained the sentiment from Nigerians is as a result of blind sense of patriotism. According to her, Nigerians are deeply patriotic in a sick way. If this song sees the light of day, the original will be dead and buried.

Also Read: Potentially SA's largest copyright infringement case gets a court date

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