Musician Mikie Wine has responded to a letter of Intention to sue from Ragga Dee over copyright infringement of his song ‘Nkuguddemu Oyagala Cash’, reproducing ‘Zuena’.
In a media interview, Mikie Wine acknowledged Ragga Dee’s talent and the fact that he is a music veteran who was highly respected in the industry. These qualities inspired him to redo the song because he felt it was good art.
He, however, denied allegations that he didn’t seek consent from Ragga Dee before hitting the studio for his own version.
“However much I loved the song, there was no way I would come out of nowhere and do the song without consulting the owner. That is disrespectful. You should know that I didn’t do the song without letting the first creator of the song know,” he said.
Ragga Dee, in a phone interview, tasked Mikie Wine to produce evidence or a physical document where they had made the agreement.
“He should present it. How can I let it slide when I’m the one fighting for copyright? For the 35 years I have been in the industry, I have avoided feuds with fellow artists. That is why I do not want them to come for me,” he said.
Ragga Dee further confessed that Mikie Wine called him for a meeting at Game on a Sunday, and when they met, he expressed his admiration for his craft.
“He asked me to redo my song, and I told him I had to first speak to management because there are some of my songs that I sold. They do not require me to touch them because of copyright,” Ragga Dee.
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For this particular song, Ragga Dee revealed he had invested a lot of money in the song and refused to sell it to Mikie Wine. He, however, was surprised when he went ahead to release the song on a Monday despite his disapproval.
“This should be a lesson to all artists. I can never wake up and sing his songs even when he sings very well,” he said.
Over the weekend, social media was awash with a legal document drafted by MGC Law Advocates on behalf of their client Ragga Dee with the intention to sue Mikie Wine for copyright infringement.
The letter stated that Ragga Dee published and secured copyrights for his song ‘Nkuguddemu Oyagala Cash’ in 2004. Mikie Wine then reproduced his own version, ‘Zuena’, and performed it without consent.
Mikie Wine was requested to compensate Ragga Dee with 300M within 7 days of the notice, and failure to do so would result in legal action.
