More details have emerged in the unpaid royalties saga between Highlife artiste Kuami Eugene and his colleague, Mr Drew.
According to Kuami Eugene, he has involved his lawyer in the issue and the situation would be handled legally.
During an appearance on the Kojo Manuel podcast, where he was asked about any issues he may have with his industry peers, Kuami Eugene shared his experience with a specific incident involving the song “Case,” which he had written for Mr. Drew but has not received due credit or royalties for.
“I do have a problem with someone now, they think because I let things go easily, they think I’m soft. They feel that even though they don’t pay me my royalties, I wouldn’t mind.” he expressed.
Kuami Eugene further explained that he had composed the entire hook of the hit song from start to finish and had informed the artist about his contribution. However, the artist did not respond to his messages, and to his surprise, the song was released without his involvement.
While Kuami Eugene did not disclose the artist’s name during the podcast, he mentioned that he had taken the matter to his lawyer, stating, “I’ve actually sent it to my lawyer. If my lawyer finishes the conversation with him, it will come out.”
In addition to his specific grievance with this incident, Eugene expressed his overall dissatisfaction with the treatment he receives from his colleagues in the Ghanaian music industry. He cited several instances where he did not receive any royalties for his contributions to big hits.
“I can tell you, there are many big hits in the country that many people made money from, but I didn’t even get 1 Cedi from them. All of them know, and it’s not fair,” he disclosed.
He contrasted this experience with working with Nigerian artists, highlighting that they honor their agreements, and he continues to receive royalties for his 2020 feature on CKay’s “Love Nwantiti.”
While Kuami Eugene refused to name the artiste in question, it could be recalled that he had previously called out fellow artiste Mr. Drew for not crediting him for his involvement in the trending song, “Case”. Mr Drew in question had stated that he had tried reaching out to Kuami Eugene but was ignored.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com