In a Facebook post, Kwame Mickey, the executive producer for Hallelujah Voices’ ‘Defe Defe’, accused Team Eternity Ghana of infringing on his copyright by using the ‘defe defe’ line in their latest song.
He wrote: “Who is that Defe Defe singer? If I start right now, they will say I am ‘mansonia’. What is the difference between the two songs? Somebody tell her to report and do the needful. That’s all.”
This accusation has sparked debates on social media. While some argue that ‘Defe Defe’ is not an expression created by Hallelujah Voices and therefore cannot be claimed by them, others point out the 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.”
In Twi, ‘defe defe’ is an adverb used to describe the gravity of an unpleasant situation. Other synonyms for ‘defe defe’ include ‘pasa pasa’ and ‘basa basa’. Although the rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases of the two lines are different, Kwame Mickey emphasises the similarities in the lyrical content.
The song ‘Defe Defe’ performed by Hallelujah Voices was written by Osuani Afrifa and executively produced by Kwame Mickey for Kaakyire Music Productions. It was released in 2004.
Meanwhile, Team Eternity Ghana has yet to respond to the allegations. The Ghanaian gospel music group recently assumed the No. 1 position on Apple Music Top 100: Ghana with their song ‘Defe Defe’ about a month ago.
This track, taken from the group’s ‘Testimony’ album, dislodged ‘Asylum’ by Afrobeats ‘wonder kid’ OliveTheBoy from the top spot.
The group achieved this feat on 7 May 2024, after releasing the album on 1 May 2024. The song has since garnered over 2 million views on YouTube.
