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DJ Lag refuses to acknowledge a strange apology issued by will.i.am, after the Black Eyes Peas frontman admitted his involvement in the apparent plagiarism of King of Gqom’s 2016 banger Ice Drop. (Photo: supplied)
- DJ Lag refuses to acknowledge a strange apology issued by will.i.am via social media on Thursday.
- The leader of Black Eyes Peas admitted his participation in the apparent plagiarism of the King of Gqom song Ice drop.
- Attributed to Hot.97 DJ Megan Ryte, the song, Culture, and the accompanying video share substantial similarities with the sound and visual aesthetic of the 2016 King of Gqom banger.
DJ Lag refuses to acknowledge a strange apology issued by will.i.am, after the Black Eyes Peas frontman admitted his involvement in the apparent plagiarism of King of Gqom’s banger in 2016, Ice drop.
Says Lag:
“The apology is not directed at me so I don’t have a comment on it. But I can confirm that Will I am or Megan did not approach me for use of my clue before our twitter took him to trial.”
Lag manager Sevi Spanoudi of Black Major confirms that no permission was given and no requests were made to clear the runway. “Lag was not aware of the usage,” he adds.
This after Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am issued a strange apology to DJ Lag and Hot.97’s DJ Megan Ryte, who has been accused of plagiarism by South African Gqom enthusiasts.
READ: American DJ Megan Ryte accused of stealing 2016 DJ Lag hit ‘Ice Drop’
On November 20, DJ, executive producer and radio personality Megan Ryte released the video for her latest single, Culture, which features will.i.am and ASAP Ferg. On Wednesday, however, Ryte became the subject of controversy on social media after fans pointed out the striking similarities between her song and DJ Lag’s release of gqom in 2016. Drop of ice.
In a video posted to his Instagram and Twitter, the rapper-producer-turned-pop star admitted to “making a mistake” by submitting lines of credit for the song. Culture. In a cruel twist of irony, the music video, which also shares substantial similarities with The Lag Ice drop video, opens with a dictionary definition of “cultural vulture”, which reads:
“A person or organization that makes a profit using honorable practices from a culture they don’t care about.”
A more precise description is provided by Complex, who six days before the song came out, interviewed Ryte about Culture, the first single from her debut album. According to Complex, a cultural vulture is “an individual or organization that benefits from elements of a culture to which it does not belong, and usually refuses to give credence to the origins of the ‘trend’.” If the accusations against Ryte are true, it would seem that with her debut single, she is referencing herself.
“This song is a statement record that recognizes the importance of black cultural contributions around the world,” says Ryte in the aforementioned interview.
“What’s wrong with the world, mom?”
“What’s up everyone?” Will.i.am’s apology begins over dramatized and misinterpreted, “I’m here to clear up the situation between song Culture Y Ice drop (sic) by DJ Lag “.
will.i.am first apologizes to Ryte, and not DJ Lag, whose song was plagiarized.
“First, I want to take the time to apologize to Megan Ryte from the bottom of my heart. Megan, I’m really sorry I put you in this situation, and I want everyone to know that Megan doesn’t deserve the hate that you do. ” I’m throwing at her because Megan did nothing wrong. The person who is to blame is me. When I delivered the song, I gave the credit information to Megan. And obviously I was wrong on the credit information. And when I found out I made a mistake, I tried to fix it, and by that time, it was too late. For that, I apologize to DJ Lag. “
The ‘apology’ gets even weirder when will.i.am addresses DJ Lag in a somewhat condescending and patronizing tone. “You are an incredible producer,” he continues. “You have an amazing future ahead of you, and I am so sorry that I misinformed the information.”
will.i.am does not acknowledge that DJ Lag is not a Johnny Come Lately from the dust bowls of Africa. Nicknamed the ‘King of Gqom’, the 24-year-old already has a huge international following and has collaborated with stars like Busiswa, Moonchild, Moses Boyd and Beyoncé.
The apology, which is aimed at clarifying the situation, has further muddied the waters, with fans taking to social media to point out inconsistencies in his statement. Speaking to Complex, Ryte claimed the song as his own, proclaiming how it would showcase his prowess as a multi-faceted member of the larger music community.
She said:
“With Will.i.am and ASAP Ferg lending their voices to the track … I’m doing it for the culture … I’m very excited that this single is the first release from my album. Not just Will.i.am and Ferg was killed, but Nabil is an incredible visionary and brought the song to life. My debut album represents me as a DJ, but also as a label owner, executive, A&R, producer and creative. “
By admitting to an error in the song’s production accreditation, the singer who previously produced hits like Do not lie Y Shut up, hints that he and Megan Ryte had received copyright clearance to use the song. But both DJ Lag and his management have refuted these claims.
In 2013, will.i.am admitted to copyright infringement with his song, Let’s go, after he got caught plagiarizing the song, Rebound, originally recorded by DJs Arty and Mat Zo.
“Shut up. Just shut up. Shut up.”
This is just one of many times that will.i.am has admitted to plagiarism. Other incidents include lyrics stolen from funk singer George Clinton for the Black Eyed Peas single. Shut upand Chicago singer Phoenix Phenom for Boom Boom Pow.
In 2013, British singer Tulisa successfully sued the producer for stealing the lyrics of a song called scream and shout, which will.i.am recorded with Britney Spears. The song sold more than two million copies and was credited to Jef Martens, will.i.am, and Jean Baptiste. Once again, will.i.am claimed it was all a mistake, adding that producers Lazy Jay asked him to record the song because they preferred him to Tulisa.
Ryte has yet to issue an apology or statement.
