'Temper' (remix) video taken off Youtube because of Fela sample

UPDATE: Pulse reached out to Rikki Stein who managed Fela Kuti for 15 years until his death in 1997. Who told us via email that Skales didn’t follow the necessary procedures.

“Well, the usual procedure when using a sample or using the composition of a third party is to seek permission from the Rights Holder,” Stein said. “I don't believe that happened in this case. I don't know Skales personally but would strongly advise him to make the necessary overtures!”

Skales is currently embroiled in a legal copyright battle with the estate of Fela Anikulakpo Kuti.

The singer who is having a good run with the increasing success of his singles ‘Temper’ and the remix with Burna Boy, might just have all of that achievement clipped from him.

This is because according to sources, the singer and the estate of Fela Kuti have alerted Youtube for the video of the remix which features Burna Boy.

Produced by KrizBeatz, the ‘Temper’ remix which was reworked and sampled Fela’s “Sorrow, Tears & Blood”  and 'Roforofo Fight',  had Burna Boy and Skales dovetailing to good effect. The song has a strong Afrobeat sampling with the composition and lyrics riffed in the creation of the new work.

Where Fela sang "Hey, yeah/Everybody run, run, run/Everybody scatter scatter/Some people lost some bread", Burna and Skales replaced it with "Hey, yeah/Everybody run, run, run/Everybody scatter scatter/Hey, yeah dance don catch fire/Hey, yeah boys don start to maya."

In music, this is called an interpolation, when one singer takes the lines of another singer and changes it for his or her own purpose but without changing the melody.

The official video has been pulled down from Youtube with the page bearing the message: "SKALES - TEMPER REMIX FT ..." This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Anikulapo Kuti:”

This means that Skales and his management team didn’t clear the sample with the owners of Fela’s catalogue.

According to sources who spoke with Pulse, Skales management and the holder's of Fela Kuti's music rights have made contact, and are currently working on resolving issues.