‘Rema fit steal Omah Lay song, Afrobeats lacks Originality’ – Mr Real

Nigerian singer Okafor Uchenna Victor, popularly known as Mr Real, has decried what he described as the high level of intellectual property theft in the country’s fast-growing Afrobeats industry, claiming that the genre has lost its originality.

The ‘Legbegbe’ hitmaker made the remarks during an interview with Hip TV, where he criticised both upcoming and established artistes for stealing ideas and songs from one another without proper credit or consent.

“Blackface dey always complain say dem steal him song. Afrobeats no get original songs, even Rema fit steal Omah Lay song,” Mr Real said in Pidgin. “You see idea wey bad if you no sharp, omo boys go run am. No time.”

Mr Real argued that the Afrobeats scene is filled with recycled sounds and copied concepts, noting that many artistes often build on other people’s creative ideas without acknowledgment.

“Stealing of songs happens more between upcoming artists and top artistes,” he said. “But the upcoming no get fans to speak for them. There’s no original song in Afrobeats. Even the one shouting ‘they stole my song’ don still copy person own.”

According to him, the absence of strong copyright enforcement mechanisms in Nigeria has made it easy for established artistes to take advantage of emerging talents.

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The singer lamented that young and struggling artistes suffer the most from the growing trend of song theft because they lack fan bases and platforms to defend themselves.

“Upcoming artistes dey face this thing pass. Them no get lawyers, no get followers wey go shout for them. If a big artiste use their line or chorus, who go fight for them?” he said.

He added that this problem has discouraged many promising artistes from pursuing their craft seriously, as they often feel powerless and exploited by bigger names in the industry.

Mr Real also referenced Blackface, the veteran singer known for his long-running complaints about song theft in the Nigerian music industry, claiming that even he was not entirely innocent.

“Even Blackface wey dey always talk say people dey steal him song don still copy person own before,” he alleged.

The singer noted that creativity in the Nigerian music industry has become a free-for-all, where artists quickly adapt or reproduce popular sounds without ethical consideration.

Mr Real urged the government and entertainment bodies to strengthen copyright laws and create mechanisms that protect artistes from intellectual property theft.

He argued that for Afrobeats to maintain global respect, it must start prioritising originality and fairness.

“If we say we dey take Afrobeats go the world, make we also dey respect originality,” he said. “We fit borrow sound, but make we no dey steal another person idea without credit.”

The singer’s remarks have reignited conversations about ownership, creativity, and fairness in the Nigerian music industry, as Afrobeats continues to dominate the global music scene with chart-topping hits and international collaborations.