Ragga Dee Warns Artists Against Redoing His Work Without His Permission

Seasoned musician Ragga Dee, real name Daniel Kazibwe, has sent out a stern warning to artists thinking of redoing his art.

He was responding to a recent saga where musician Lil Pazzo was sued by the late Kato Lubwama’s estate over copyright infringement. The Enkudi hitmaker is said to have redone Lubwama’s Kilabe Ebiiso without consent. With Lubwama’s estate demanding Shs 300 million in compensation, Ragga Dee warns young artists not to take copyright infringement lightly.

“These young artists don’t know that to copy someone’s song without permission is a crime. You have to ask for permission from the original composer. In case they have passed on, you should seek permission from the family.” he said.

He particularly requested that any artist who wants to redo his art should first seek his permission. Short of that, he warned that he would drown them in lawsuits that would bankrupt them. According to Ragga Dee, the Lil Pazzo conundrum should serve as an eye-opener to his colleagues.

Ragga Dee not impressed by new school music

The former Kampala Lord Mayor aspirant also lashed out at new artists for singing bubble gum music. He challenged them to sing songs that affect their fans. Ragga Dee said the current music being churned out is demoralizing. Additionally, he castigated the young artists for not listening to advice from the elder ones.

“I enjoyed the music of the old days. That music had a storyline. You would listen to a song and draw a picture in your mind. That is not the case with new school music.” Ragga Dee said.He cited Iryn Namubiru and the legendary Afrigo Band, which has songs that people enjoy decades later.

While speaking to Spark TV, he also expressed his reservations about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the music industry. He cited cases where someone’s voice is being used without his input. Recently, Swangz Avenue’s Azawi made a song where AI was used to reimagine the late Mowzey Radio’s voice. The song, “Masavu,” has gone on to hit the airwaves as one of the top songs of 2024.