Former member of the Goodlyfe Crew Douglas Mayanja aka Weasel Manizo on Tuesday called out Nigerian artist Chike Ezekeanzu Osebuka, commonly known as Chike, for performing the former duo’s song Breath Away without seeking permission.
In his displeasure, Weasel blamed Ugandan event organizers for inviting foreign artists to perform their songs without their assent. He accused the organizers and Chike of undermining him saying that asking for permission to sing the song would be morally respectful, adding that if Rude Boy, Wizkid and P-Square took the initiative, then Chike should have as well.
The Fatboy Show Presenter James Onen aka Fatboy giving thought to the subject, wondered whether Weasel’s anger wasn’t triggered by his faded recognition as a musical artist since the death of his partner Mowzey Radio.
“Do you think that this bitterness is arising from this difficult situation?” He asked Olive, “Because as an artist, he has been struggling to remain relevant to fans who mostly liked him as part of the duo of Radio and Weasel. But here he is struggling to find his footing. So for him to be snapping at some Nigerian artist, I mean let him sing it, who cares?”
However, Olive on the contrary believes that Weasel was right to demand that Chike seeks approval before singing a song that belongs to the then Goodlyfe.
“I think in Uganda we don’t have stringent copyright laws. Internationally before you sing any one’s song even if you are paying tribute, you need to atleast get permission from either family or a manager, I think that's how it's done. You don’t just stand on stage and start singing someone’s song.
“So I think that he was right, they should have asked for permission but also I think he feels this way because he was not invited to the event,” she added.
The Presenters further commented on Rema and Chike’s new music video collaboration.
“There was a video she put out which she was filming and it looked like she was flirting with him, did you see it?” He asked Olive, “The video where they were smiling and blushing and it got me thinking, ‘wait what is going on here?’ I thought she was supposed to be on cloud 9 with her new found husband,” Fatboy remarked.
Olive defended Rema saying, “But the guy is fine and he sings pretty well; honestly I am not such a fan of Nigerian music but I love Chike’s music. I feel like Chike is to Africa what Joe Thomas was to the entire world.”
Amused, Fatboy responded, “Wow that’s heavy, it looks like he's also confusing you in addition to Rema. But I'm hoping that whatever is going on between them is strictly professional and there’s no threat that may jeopardize the ‘Remza’ situation,” he concluded.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.