After nearly two decades of allegedly lending his voice to recordings produced by Hammer of the Last Two, Nii Mantse Aryeequaye filed a legal action to transfer ownership of all the works into his name.
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Killer cut: Mantse fined GH10K as court throws out his case against Obrafour and Hammer
Founder of the Chalewote Street Art Festival, Mantse, has been served with a fine after he dragged Da Hammer and Obrafour to court over what he previously described unfair advantage of his works.
Mantse and Obrafour
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It has been reported that Mantse's voice is the popular 'Killer cut, blood' adlib Da Hammer used for a song produced for Obrafour. Accordingly, he filed a lawsuit against Hammer, alleging that the producer took unfair advantage of his work.
Hip-life legend Obrafour
Pulse Ghana
In an update pulse.com.gh has gathered, an Accra High Court has thrown out Mantse's case. Sources have disclosed that the Chalewote Street Art Festival founder was rather fined a sum of GH10,000 for what has been described as 'inconsistency'.
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The legal action, initiated in July 2023, also involved Ghanaian musician Obrafour, on whose musical piece, 'Oye Ohene' remix, Mantse was featured. This came after Obrafour had previously sued Canadian rapper Drake for $10 million in a New York court for sampling a portion of the song that featured Nii Mantse without proper authorization.
Drake had incorporated the sample from Obrafour's Oye Ohene remix into his track 'Calling My Name,' altering the song's ambience. Obrafour claimed that Drake and other defendants had benefited from his work without permission.
Upon learning of the lawsuit, Mantse took to Twitter, asserting his sole ownership of the phrase 'Killer cut, blood' on Obrafour's 'Oye Ohene' remix. Failing to resolve issues with Obrafour and Hammer, Mantse decided to file a lawsuit against both parties.
In his legal pursuit, Mantse sought ownership of moral and economic rights to the "killer cut, blood" phrase he voiced for Obrafour's 'Oye Ohene' remix. He is also sought for an injunction to restrain Obrafour, Hammer, or any party from demanding or receiving payment for the work, 'Killer cut, blood.'
Additionally, he pursued General Damages against Obrafour for misappropriating his work and actively seeking profit from it. Moreover, Mantse also asked Hammer to relinquish all works done for him and provide a record of all his works, including those used in other projects.
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Da Hammer
Da Hammer
Pulse Ghana
Throughout his career as a voice artist, Nii Mantse collaborated with various producers, but a significant portion of his recordings was with Hammer, making his voice synonymous with many of The Last Two songs.
Hammer acknowledged Mantse's crucial role in his creative process, noting his unapologetically real and honest feedback. However, Nii Mantse has claimed that he was not compensated for the work he did for Hammer.
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