Ayefele, while replying to Beautiful Nubia, noted that elements such as melody or instrumental tones are not easily owned.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Popular gospel artiste Yinka Ayefele has faulted allegations by Afrobeats singer-songwriter Segun Akinlolu, better known as Beautiful Nubia, that he and a new artiste identified as BBO copied the melody of his song, “Seven Lifes”.
Ayefele responded to the accusations made by the veterinary doctor-turned-singer during a recent conversation with Peoples Gazette.
On Thursday, Beautiful Nubia took to his official X (formerly Twitter) page to accuse Ayefele and BBO of copyright infringement.
According to him, Ayefele’s 2012 song, “My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti)”, and BBO’s recent track, “Amin”, both drew their melodies from his work without permission.
He wrote: “There was Yinka Ayefele with ‘My Faith in God (Igbagbo Ireti)’ in 2012 and now someone called BBO with ‘Amin’ this year. Both stole their melodies from our original song ‘Seven Lifes’.”
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Questioning what he described as a recurring problem in the industry, the 58-year-old raised concerns about copyright infringement and respect for original creativity, especially within the gospel music space.
”When will Nigerians, especially the so-called gospel musicians, learn to respect copyright?” Beautiful Nubia added.
He went on to urge fellow artistes to be more conscious of copyright laws and to ensure that their creative works do not infringe upon the intellectual property of others.
Responding to the claims, Ayefele questioned the scope of copyright in music, asking: “Can one claim a melody, or claim copyright on lyrics and compositions? Can you claim the tone on the keyboard and guitar, that you are the one who generated it?”
He also noted that he does not view online allegations as sufficient reason to comment further, emphasising that elements such as melody or instrumental tones are not easily “owned”.
”I don’t respond to social media stunts,” he said.
Meanwhile, BBO is yet to respond to the allegations levelled by Beautiful Nubia, who is widely respected for his distinct sound and storytelling rooted in culture and social themes.
