Nigeria’s music star Mr. Eazi has accused rapper Bad Bunny of copyright theft. The Puerto Rican-born Bad Bunny won a Grammy last Sunday in the Best Musica Urban Album category for his Un Verano Sin Ti album, but Mr. Eazi said Bad Bunny said the song “Enséñame a Bailar,” was a sample of Joeboy’s 2021 song “Empty My Pocket.” Eazi claimed neither Joeboy nor the song’s producer, Dëra, received credit for their work, nor did Bad Bunny allegedly receive clearance from emPawa Africa, Joeboy’s record label and publisher.
In a Linkedin post, Mr Eazi wrote that this was a case not just of plagiarism and copyright infringement, but “an ill intent of robbery and abuse… because we are African and [an] independent label.” “The intent of Rimas Music is clear ie to blatantly appropriate young African creators’ work for their gain without Attribution,” he wrote.
Now, Mr Eazi has begun a process to take down Bad Bunny’s song, Enséñame a Bailar, from music streaming services, and is willing to take legal action, he told Semafor in an interview. The friction highlights a classic dispute in popular music: the clearance of an artist’s sample for use in another song. In this case, the rift is between two stars — and recent collaborators — who are both seen as pioneers in increasingly popular and influential global genres.
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