Team Eternity has paid me for ‘Defe Defe’ lyrics – Kwame Mickey

Kwame Mickey, the music producer in the centre of the issue regarding Team Eternity Ghana’s use of ‘Defe Defe’ lyrics, has disclosed what went into the resolution made by both parties.

After announcing that “the issue that arose concerning Team Eternity Ghana’s use of a portion of the existing song titled ‘Defe Defe’ in their new song also titled ‘Defe Defe’ has been amicably resolved,” he has indicated that he took money from the gospel music collective.

Speaking to DJ Slim on Hitz FM’s morning show Daybreak Hitz, Kwame said lawyers from both sides came into a mutual agreement and he is happy the right thing has been done.

When asked if Team Eternity just apologised to him or they paid money, he said both gestures took place.

“Both the apology and the money came but it was not any scary arrangement as in asking them to pay any specific amount of money. They named the amount they wanted to pay and I didn’t have to go back and forth with them,” he said.

He, however, declined to mention the amount of money that was paid to him.

“It is not somthing that needs to be made public,” he noted.

The music producer also stated that arrangements have been made for the split of royalties that the song will generate.

In his press statement released earlier, he mentions that “the parties have duly entered into a Licence Agreement under which Kwame Mickey grants to Team Eternity Ghana the non-executive right to use in the new song, those words derived from the existing song.”

How it all started

Kwame Mickey, the executive producer for Hallelujah Voices’ ‘Defe Defe’, alleged a few weeks ago that Team Eternity Ghana had infringed on his copyright by using the ‘defe defe’ line for their new hit song.

He wrote: “Who is that Defe Defe singer? If I start right now them go say I am ‘mansonia’. What is the difference between the two songs? Somebody tell her to report and do the needful. That’s all.” 

He went ahead to write to Youtube to disable the visibility of Team Eternity’s ‘Defe Defe’ on the view platform until they sorted out copyright issues with him.

This generated debates on social media. While some assert that ‘Defe Defe’ is not an expression created by Hallelujah Voices, for which reason they cannot lay claim to it, others say there are similarities in the lyrics. Hallelujah Voices sing “manhyia Nyame a anka ɔbonsam ayɛ me defe defe,” and Team Eternity sing “manhyia Nyame a anka y’ayɛ me defe defe.”

‘Defe defe’ in Twi, is an adverb used to describe the gravity of an unpleasant situation. Other synonyms for ‘defe defe’ are ‘pasa pasa’, and ‘basa basa’.

Although structurally, the rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases of the two lines are different, Kwame Mickey is making a case for the similarities in the lyrical content.

‘Defe Defe’ song performed by Hallelujah Voices, was written by Osuani Afrifa and executively produced by Kwame Mickey for Kaakyire Music Productions. It was released in 2004.

source: My Joy Online