Veteran Nigerian singer Konga has accused Afrobeats star Burna Boy of using his work without permission, demanding a share of the earnings from the song Update.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Hits Don’t Lie podcast, Konga claimed that Burna Boy sampled elements of his music without prior consultation or agreement. He said he deserves 60 per cent of the song’s proceeds.
The singer expressed frustration that, despite raising the issue publicly in the past, Burna Boy has not reached out to address the matter.
Konga also drew comparisons with Burna Boy’s 2022 hit Last Last, where the Grammy-winning artiste credited and compensated Toni Braxton for sampling her track He Wasn’t Man Enough. According to Konga, the same approach should have been extended to him.
“If Toni Braxton is having 60% royalty of Last Last, why can’t he come and meet me first and talk to me?” he said.
Despite his grievances, Konga revealed that he has held back from initiating legal proceedings, noting that he admires Burna Boy’s work and values his role in promoting African music globally.
He further alleged that Burna Boy had previously used his lyrics in the remix of Sungba with Asake.
Konga added that after his request for a collaboration on his song Kabakaba was ignored, he has decided to take a similar approach by sampling Burna Boy’s work without seeking permission.
The claims have sparked fresh conversations around intellectual property rights and compensation practices within the African music industry.
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