Jiti musician Baba Harare has responded to accusations of song theft and imitation from the Zimdancehall chanter, Enzo Ishall.
Baba Harare is riding high with the release of his album Prove Them Wrong which hit streaming services last week.
The album carries the song “Ahee” which eerily sounds like a rip-off of “Tiza” which was released earlier this year by Enzo Ishall. The similarities go beyond the music, extending to the music videos for both tracks. Enzo Ishall subtly addressed this issue on social media, humorously suggesting that he should now be referred to as “Baba Zimbabwe” because Baba Harare appeared to have borrowed inspiration from his song, “Tiza.”
However, in an interview with Butterphly on source, Baba Harare candidly explained the genesis of the controversy. He adamantly denied copying Enzo Ishall’s song, asserting that it was, in fact, Enzo Ishall who had borrowed elements from his unique Jiti sound.
According to Baba Harare, he approached producer Nyasha Timbe, responsible for both “Tiza” and “Ahee,” at a time when Jiti music wasn’t on the producer’s radar. Baba Harare played a pivotal role in convincing Timbe to venture into the Jiti genre. He detailed how he personally recorded the distinctive drum beats that serve as the foundation for both “Ahee” and “Tiza.”
“His song? That’s my song. Akangoisa ma lyrics pa beat rangu reJiti. Do you know kuti my producer Nyasha Timbe anga asinga produse Jiti. So ini pandakatanga kushanda naye ndini ndakatomutenhesa kuti atange kuita Jiti. Ukateerera drum riri pana Tiza idrum riripasong yangu “Akanaka”. Ma rows see ndini ndakamagadzira. So Nyasha achitogadzira aitondiudza achiti ndinogadzira chinhu chakadai chakadai,” Baba Harare explained.
No One Owns a Sound: Baba Harare Tells Enzo Ishall
Baba Harare emphasized that Nyasha Timbe shouldn’t be blamed, highlighting a fundamental truth: no one can claim ownership of a particular sound or genre.
“Haana mhosva. Haana mhosva. Hakuna munhu anonzi muridzi we sound zvake,” Baba Harare said dismissing any accusations that he stole Enzo Ishall’s song.
Later in the interview, Baba Harare confidently asserted that it was Enzo Ishall who was following in his footsteps. He pointed to Enzo’s recent collaborations with artists like Subaru, who had featured in several of his videos previously, as evidence of his influence in the industry.
“Ayehwa. Imi tarisai mavideo angu kubva kudhara. Even musikana waakaenda naye [paakaridza ku Beer Fest] ndi Subaru. Subaru aripamavideo angu anodarika kana four. Baba Generator, Subaru ndiye musikana uya anga ane zambia re red so. Ndiye same person. Ehe. Anotozviziva hake. ku Jiti. Enzo ndewekungodenha,” declared Baba Harare
