Obrafour is suing Canadian rapper Drake for $10 million for sampling without his consent. But how much is the Ghanaian rapper worth?
Obrafour, best known by his monikers Rap Executioner and Rap Sofo, is a Ghanaian hiplife musician and rapper. Obrafour has a unique style of Twi rapping and storytelling.
Born in 1976, in Obo Kwahu, the Ghanaian musician owns his record label named EXECUTION ENTERTAINMENT INC.
To date, Obrafour has at least 12 albums to his name including Pae Mu Ka, which is to date considered one of the best-selling albums in Ghana.
On April 19th, 2023, news broke that the “Moesha” hitmaker was suing Canadian rapper Drake whose net worth is around $250 million over copyright claims. In the wake of this lawsuit, many Ghanaians are itching to know how much Obrafour is worth. So, is Obrafour rich, and what song of his did Drake sample?
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What is Obrafour’s net worth?
Obrafour is a Ghanaian rapper and musician who has established himself as one of the most influential and respected figures in the Ghanaian music industry.
He first gained fame in the late 1990s and early 2000s with his debut album “Pae Mu Ka,” which is widely regarded as a classic of Ghanaian hip-hop. Since then, Obrafour has continued to release successful albums and collaborate with other musicians, cementing his status as a beloved icon of Ghanaian music.
With his enduring popularity and long career, many fans are curious about Obrafour’s net worth and the financial success he has achieved throughout his years in the music industry.
About his fortune, Obrafour has a current estimated net worth between $50,000 to $300,000. He made his money primarily from his decades of a music career and other endeavors he keeps private from the public.
The Ghanaian music legend’s net worth is expected to drastically see a surge if he wins his lawsuit against Drake who sampled his song. But what actually happened between Obrafour and Drake?
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What happened between Obrafour and Drake?
Legendary Ghanaian rapper Obrafour is suing popular Canadian rapper Drake for sampling his 2003 remix of ‘Oye Ohene’ on his song ‘Calling My Name’ off the Honestly Nevermind album.
In the documents presented to a court in New York, Obrafour stated that Drake infringed on his copyright when he sampled his song without permission.
“Defendants released the Infringing Work on June 17, 2022, despite the fact that an agent of one or more Defendants had previously contacted Obrafour seeking to obtain Obrafour’s permission for the use of the Copyrighted Work in the Infringing Work.”
“Obrafour never granted Defendants permission to use the Copyrighted Work and the Infringing work was released mere days later,” parts of the document read.
The Ghanaian rapper indicated that Drake and other defendants following the release of ‘Calling My Name’ has greatly benefited from his work.
“To date, over the mere 304 days that have elapsed since the Infringing Work was released, the Infringing Work has already been streamed over 4.1 million times on YouTube, streamed over 47,442,160 times on Spotify, and streamed tens of millions of times on Apple Music.”
“In addition to generating enormous sums of global streams and sales across numerous platforms, the Infringing Work has also been exploited by the Defendants via other means, including live performance.”
Among others, Obrafour is seeking damages in an amount not less than $10,000,000.
He is also seeking an injunction requiring the “defendants and their agents, employees, officers, attorneys, successors, licensees, partners, and assigns, and all persons acting in concert or participation with each or any one of them, to cease directly and indirectly infringing, and causing, enabling, facilitating, encouraging, promoting, inducing, and/or participating in the infringement of any of Obrafour’s rights protected by the Copyright Act.”
Meanwhile, other defendants in the suit include writers, producers, performers, record labels, entertainment companies, publishers, managers, administrators, and/or distributors of the infringing work.
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What song did Drake sample from Obrafour?
In June 2022, Canadian rapper, Drake surprised his fans with ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ but for Ghanaians, it was a double surprise.
On Track 6, ‘Calling My Name’, Drake sampled a beloved popular song from one of Ghana’s best musicians alive, Obrafour.
The sample is found at 0:53 seconds of the Drake tune, where it transitions into a house music vibe sending the song into a different type of ambiance compared to its initial trajectory.
“Killa cut!” is the chant heard multiple times.
That part was sung by Mantse Aryeequaye as an opener to the late 2003 remix of ‘Oye Ohene’ off the Ntete Pa album.
Click here to read the full court document