Award-winning singer, Angelique Kidjo did a remake of Master KG and Nomcebo’s Jerusalema with an orchestra. Last year, Nigerian artist Burna Boy asked to do a remix of the Amapiano single Tshwala Bami. The South African music industry has attracted more collaborations and partnerships. Recently, award-winning Nigerian artist Davido has sampled Brenda Fassie’s single popular Vuli Ndlela on his latest release titled, Funds. This sample has caused much social media outrage.

THE SAMPLE

On the song Funds, Davido opens with vocals by Brenda Fassie. “What a beautiful ode to legend. They did the song justice,” a friend in Davido’s team said. “It was used tastefully and not too much.” The song Funds was released last week, sparking conversations online. However, executive producer Chicco Twala who had worked extensively with Brenda Fassie in her time, confirmed to ZiMoja that the song had been cleared in the correct manner and the necessary steps were taken by Davido’s team. He said there was no need for anyone to worry about music right as protocol was followed. Permission was granted by UMG and my publisher,” he said. “Big artists like Davido will never release a song that has copyright issues"

WHAT IS SONG SAMPLING?

Sampling a song is when an artist includes a part of an already existing recording of music in their own composition. This can be a rhythm, beat, melody, beat, vocals, or speech. The artist then chooses whether to manipulate, chop, edit, or loop the sample to fit their production. Sampling someone’s music requires legal steps. To legally sample another artist’s work, one needs to obtain "sample clearance" from the owners of the original recording. This often comes with costs and extensive paperwork. This process can be lengthy and complex and can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.