Caiphus Semenya addresses report he is looking to sue AKA

Internationally renowned jazz musician Caiphus Semenya has cleared the air on reports he is looking to sue slain rapper AKA — real name Kiernan Jarryd Forbes.

The Nomalanga hitmaker addressed claims about copyright infringements and royalties on the YouTube podcast Nkululeko n Cultr with Nkululeko Nkewu on the Monday, 18 April, episode.

ALSO READ: Mixed reactions over music legend Caiphus Semenya suing AKA

‘50% IN ROYALTIES FROM AKA’

On Sunday, 2 April, Sunday World reported that Semenya is taking the late musician and his distribution company, Sony Music, to court for not paying him for sampling two of his songs.

ALSO READ: Pearl Thusi believes AKA was trolling her on ‘Company’

The publication reported that the jazz maestro is demanding 50% in royalties after AKA sampled his song Matswale when he made Caiphus Song. The late musician also reportedly used lyrics from Semenya’s song Hamba Nam Weh on his track titled Diary (Anxiety) — found on his posthumous album Mass Country.

The Lemons (Lemonade) hitmaker and his celebrity chef friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane were brutally murdered when two gunmen opened fire outside Wish on Florida in Durban on 10 February.

ALSO READ: AKA’s father speaks on death threats and relationship with Tembes

CAIPHUS SEMENYA CLEARS THE AIR ON CLAIMS

Speaking to Nkewu, the 83-year-old artist said that his publishing is handled by an administrator.

“I established Semenya Music when I was 32 years old. John Levy helped me to put my publishing together. Since then I have never, not once negotiated a song. The publisher does that, that’s their job,” he said.

ALSO READ: ‘I never stop watching it’: Tony Forbes on son AKA’s murder footage

Semenya said that AKA rectified the issue of sampling Matswale. He slammed the journalist behind the story, saying he (the journalist) is reflecting his emotions about AKA that have nothing to do with him as Semenya.

“So already he said I was asking 50% of what? I was asking which one it was because I didn’t know.

“He gave people the impression that it was Matswale, which was long fixed, AKA fixed it,” Semenya explained, also referring to the iconic picture he shot with the slain musician some years ago.

“I am very sympathetic towards what happened to AKA and I think about what this guy (the journalist) has done to his family.

“I admired the boy. He was very smart,” he said.

In addition, he explained that it was his administrator who alerted him about the second song.

“I said to her it’s a pity that he’s gone because he would have fixed it. Remember what we did with Matswale, but it’s okay.

“The lawyers told (the administrator) that it will take some time because there are a few problems that they have to do with his estate and I said there is nothing else we can do, we just have to wait,” Semenya explained.