Burna Boy dragged to US Court over alleged theft

Information reaching Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) has it that Nigerian music star Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu aka Burna Boy has been sued in a New York court in the United States by Haitian music legend Fabrice Rouzier.

Rouzier accuses him of stealing samples from his 2002 track Je Vais.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, claims Burna Boy and French-Haitian singer Joe Dwet File (real name Joe Gilles) used Rouzier’s composition, sound, and video material without permission in their recent collaboration 4 Kampe II, released March 28, 2025.

According to court documents, the infringement started in late 2024 when Gilles released the original 4 Kampe, allegedly based on Je Vais.

Rouzier says he issued a cease-and-desist letter to Gilles, who reportedly admitted to using the material. Despite this, Gilles went ahead to release the remix featuring Burna Boy, which allegedly includes lyrics and melodies strikingly similar to Je Vais, including the French line “Chérie, ou sou sa kampe.”

Rouzier accuses both artists of knowingly profiting from stolen work, leading to lost revenue, damaged reputation, and missed opportunities.

He claims Burna Boy was fully aware of the infringement but participated in the remix regardless.

The veteran Haitian musician is seeking compensatory and exemplary damages, legal fees, and an injunction to stop any further use of his likeness or music in 4 Kampe and 4 Kampe II. He’s also asking the court to order the destruction of all infringing copies of the videos.

In a related development, Burna Boy, gifted ₦20 million to controversial singer Habeeb Okikiola, also known as Portable, following his victory over Speed Darlington in their celebrity boxing match.

Portable confirmed the generous gift in a post shared on Instagram on Saturday.

“₦20 million from Burna Boy. If you wanna be like Odogwu, can you do like Odogwu? God bless your family,” Portable wrote.

Portable has been celebrating his win over rival Darlington Okoye, a.k.a. Speed Darlington, who has blamed his defeat in Saturday’s celebrity boxing clash on Portable’s alleged use of “juju” (charms).

Portable took to Instagram on Saturday to revel in his triumph at the Chaos in the Ring event, sanctioned by the Nigeria Boxing Board of Control and held at the Balmoral Convention Centre in Lagos. He posted: “Champion forever. I believe in those who believe in me. Na God dey run am. Orilomo.”

Later that day, he shared another celebratory message on his Instagram story, writing: “Joy full my body, money don land.”

It is worth noting that Burna Boy and Speed Darlington have had a tense relationship.

In 2024, Speed Darlington accused Burna Boy of allegedly having an inappropriate connection with American rapper Diddy to secure his Grammy win.

Following that, Speed Darlington was arrested over allegations of defamation and cyberstalking against Burna Boy.

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