Shallipopi Clears the Air on Copyright Issues with ‘ObaPluto

Nigerian sensation Shallipopi recently spoke out about the copyright troubles he faced concerning his hit single, ‘Obapluto.’

In July, Shallipopi encountered a copyright infringement claim for ‘Obapluto,’ where he used a sample from the song ‘Ovonramwen n’ Ogbaisi’ by veteran singer Pa Monday Edo Igbinidu. This led to a 200 million naira lawsuit filed by Pa Monday Edo against Shallipopi.

In an interview with the ‘Zero Condition’ podcast, Shallipopi shared the details behind the copyright infringement. The Benin-born singer suggested that artists from Benin City often neglect their cultural roots, choosing instead to draw inspiration from various Nigerian tribes and cultures. Shallipopi wanted to distance himself from such artists and released a song specifically dedicated to the indigenous people of Edo/Benin.

The ‘ObaPluto’ artist expressed his frustration, saying, “You know artists that come from Benin city dey always run. It’s either dey use other tribes to sing their music or they never come back to Benin again. I know wan be that artist wey be like say I kon forget where I for come.”

Shallipopi, popularly known as Pluto Presido, admitted that he had no knowledge that the beat of ‘ObaPluto’ had been used before, and he was unaware of copyright issues. He emphasized that he was simply trying to celebrate his culture.

“That’s how I dropped the song and began to see ‘things on things.’ ‘My mother said do you know this song that you used, Don’t you know the person is alive?!’. We had to do everything legally. I said okay he should be in the video.”

To resolve the issue, Shallipopi invited Pa Monday Edo Igbinidu to appear in the music video of ‘ObaPluto,’ indicating that any prior disputes had been amicably settled.