Trouble looms over Praye’s song

Nana Kwame, otherwise known as Praye Tenten of Praye fame has challenged one Isaac Baah, an upcoming hiplife artiste to go to court to seek redress, after the latter claimed the trio’s hit song “I And My Shoddy Are One” belonged to him and had been used by the trio for years without any royalty being paid to him.  Watch Video: Angelina by Praye

Isaac Baah in an interview told Beatwaves that the song was recorded by him at Fredyma Studio on September 19, 2000, saying Praye stole the song from him through Praye Tenten.

However, Praye Tenten, in a chat with Beatwaves, denied the allegation, saying he wrote the song with other members of the group. “This whole thing is bullshit,” he declared.

“The person who is claiming the song belongs to him does not understand Ga and we have Ga lyrics in the song, so how did he compose the song if he does not understand Ga? He can go to court if he wants to,” he added.

However in a quick rebuff, Fred Kyei Mensah, aka Fredima, in whose studio Isaac claimed to have recorded the song, also told Beatwaves that the song belonged to Isaac.

He stated: “I recorded it for the boy before later hearing it on Praye’s album with some modification. If there is anything you can do to help him get some compensation for his work, it would be a good thing.”

Isaac, however, revealed he met Praye Tenten in November 2003 and the latter asked him to join the Praye group. He said he accepted the offer and upon Praye Tenten’s request that they do a compilation together he was fully convinced to be part of the group.

“We started the compilation on December 1, 2003 and I became fully convinced that we were brothers. I thus decided not to hide anything from him as well as the group.

So I gave to Praye Tenten, then called Kente, my demo which I had recorded four of my songs on. I suddenly fell sick and was on admission at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.Before I knew it, my music was out there in public.”

According to him, he could not believe it until he saw the Praye group perform the song on TV3’s ‘Music Music’ programme.  When he contacted Praye Tenten, he indicated that the singer promised to come and see him to settle the issue but that did not happen as he never showed up. Later Isaac said his dad accompanied him to go and see Praye but to their surprise they were nearly beaten by the hiplife artistes, who thought their action would expose them.

Isaac said not knowing what to do, he stopped calling Praye Tenten until May 14, 2005 “when he himself called me that he was coming for us to settle the matter but once again failed”.  He continued that the artiste’s mother called him to assure him that they would come over to settle the issue but that also did not materialize.

When Praye Tenten’s mother was contacted, she told Beatwaves that Isaac and his father once came to her house to make some demands but she also asked him to go to court, saying she was sure her son did not steal anybody’s song and that Isaac was only trying to drag her son’s name in the mud.