Wizkid, Tekno: Starboy and Slim Daddy release hit singles cut from familiar clothing

Wizkid and Tekno have recently dropped singles that breathed new life into classic records

Tekno recently dropped his new single, Jogodo with the video in works and the song is already generating a mass frenzy across the land.

The single which relies heavily on the melody and lyrics of the 2008 classic tune ''Kpolongo'' by the duo of Mad Melon and Mountain Black jointly known as Danfo Drivers depicts Tekno fully as an artist.

Going through his social media pages, Tekno comes off as  easy going, a lover of music and a good dancer as well.

He doesn't strike you as Brymo or gets you deciphering words like Modenine, his lyrics doesn't fake being woke or range, he just wants to make melodious and danceable tunes.

 

With a rush of videos posted on YouTube few days after its release, showing people in different countries dancing to his ''Jogodo'' tune, it is clear that his aim has been achieved and the song is well on its way to becoming a full blown hit record.

Late 2017, Wizkid had taken a break from trying to conquer the world and returned home to reinvent his sounds from the Naija side.

 

After failing to score a local hit in a while and with Davido stealing all the plaudits during the year, Wizkid needed a major record and the formula to attaining that lied in the classic tune, ''Ahomka Womu'' by Ghanaian group, VIP.

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Built on the same melody, sequenced across the same pattern, similar rhythmic elements, and the hook bearing semblance to that of the Ghanaian group, Wizkid rewrote the song and made it a bigger record than it was in 2003, when it was released.

 

Now songs sounding similar or remake of a classic tune did not start today and will definitely not end with the duo, but it does seem the new way to go when you need a quick win.

Fair to say, remakes or sampling have helped to keep old songs alive and many pop songs today take a bit from what had been created in the past.

Almost every artist records a song based on inspiration, which could come from older records, but with intellectual properties comes rights and permission, and while a member of the Ghanaian group has confirmed that Wizkid got permission for his song, it is yet to be known if Tekno also got clearance from the Danfo Drivers.

 

Sampling is the new route for mainstream domination in 2018 and Nigerian artists may continuously score hit records and get away with taking a bit of another record, but at a point where the music is no longer restricted to our shores and our artists have successfully climbed the global stage, there is a need for caution and proper crediting when it comes to sampling or recreating old songs.

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A member of the Beatles, George Harrison was once charged to court for copyright infringement, where the judge ruled on ''Subconscious Plagiarism'' and with the drama that have trailed 2face's career with Blackface's continuous accusations, due process should be followed on songs like this.

'To see far, you must stand on the shoulder of giants', seems to be the mantra that Wizkid and Tekno have adopted, but to stand out is to create and to bring originality to the table.