Nyenyenye! Diamond responds to claims of copying Nigerian music
By Elizabeth NgigiTanzanian Bongo star Diamond Platnumz has clapped back at recent accusations of copying music from Nigerian artistes, dismissing the claims as baseless and driven by envy over his immense success.
The singer addressed the allegations after his recent collaboration with Juma Jux which has reignited debate over the similarity of some of his songs to top Nigerian hits.
Earlier this week, Diamond found himself trending as Nigerians shared examples of songs by the singer that bear similarities to popular Nigerian tracks.
In a statement, Diamond hit back at his detractors, saying he was on his way to Canada to make money while others were wasting their time pointing fingers.
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“Ukisikia mtoto anapiga kelele ujue bakora imemuingia!…maana wakifanya wengine, utaskia Magenius wanaakili wamesample, tukifanya sie tumekopi! (If you hear a child wailing, then you’ll know he has been flogged! When others do it, they are called geniuses and hailed for sampling, but when we do it, we are accused of copying.)” he said.
Diamond further took a swipe at his rival Alikiba, saying the accusations of copying were hypocritical and unfounded.
“When they ‘copy,’ you’ll hear them saying they have sampled, but when we do so, they say we have copied. If they were geniuses, they would have sung traditional songs, why are they singing Amapiano?”
Diamond concluded with a playful “Nyenyenye! Fyuuuuu!” as a sign of indifference towards the accusations.
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The feud between Diamond and Alikiba has divided opinion in the Tanzanian music scene, with fans from both sides passionately defending their favorite artiste.
Alikiba had previously taken a swipe at Diamond, accusing him of plagiarism and urging musicians to uphold originality in their work.
“We are humiliating ourselves by doing plagiarism. Please work, sampling is okay but plagiarism not!” he said.
Diamond has in the past been criticized for sampling music from popular Nigerian artists like Asake, Spyro, Burna Boy and Wiz Kid.
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