The copyright complaint against Hammer and Obrafour is dismissed by the court, and Mantse is awarded ¢10,000 in costs

Mantse filed a lawsuit against producer Hammer (Edward Nana Poku Osei) and rapper Obrafour (Michael Elliot Kwabena Okyere Darko) for purportedly claiming exclusive ownership of the well-known phrase "killer cut blood," which was used in the hit song "Oye Ohene."

But on Thursday, February 15, the Accra High Court, led by Justice John Eugene Nyanteh Nyadu, dismissed the case due to procedural errors.

The dismissal resulted from the court's observation that Mantse had brought independent claims against the rapper and producer.

Bobby Banson, the attorney for Obrafour, claimed to have found the technological flaws in a report published by Joy Entertainment.

The law is the law, he said, and "he should not have sued Obrafour and Hammer for different cause of actions (claims)," but he did. Thus, the court granted my request to have the matter dismissed."

He clarified that the defendants needed to be handled as distinct individuals in two different lawsuits.

Attorney Bobby Banson attested to the fact that Mantse has been awarded GH₵10,000.

A representative for the founder of the Chalewote Street Art Festival expressed their unwavering determination despite the setback caused by the court's ruling.

Though the case was identical, Anny Osabutey observed that the court decided that Obrafour and Hammer had to be used separately. 

Declaring, "I have been informed that a cost of GHS10,000 was awarded against us, but Mantse will go again," he reaffirmed their resolve to pursue the case.

Background 

It was disclosed in January 2024 that Mantse Aryeequaye had filed a lawsuit against producer Hammer and rapper Obrafour for purportedly claiming exclusive ownership of the well-known phrase "killer cut blood."

The rapper Obrafour sued Canadian artist Drake for allegedly utilizing the term in his song "Oye Ohene" without getting permission, bringing ownership of the phrase under investigation.

Mantse claimed in the lawsuit that Obrafour owned the phrase and had copyrighted it in the US as early as September 2022.

He mentioned that Obrafour had filed the song Oye Ohene under the cover of "robbing him (Mantse) of his intellectual property and seeking to receive payment for plaintiff's work exclusively" in the United States.

The rapper's acts, according to the founder of Chalewote, are malicious and have a "clear nefarious intent" to utilize and divert royalties that belong to him. He is pleading with the court to declare that he is the rightful owner of the intellectual property associated with "killer cut."

Furthermore, he is pleading with the court to prevent Obrafour from requesting and getting paid for the "killer cut."

In addition, Mantse is pleading with the court to mandate that Hammer turn over all of his creations to him and turn in a record of all of his works—including those that have been sampled in other songs.

In addition, he is requesting "costs including full indemnity for legal costs which could have been avoided" and "general damages against 1st defendant for misappropriating Plaintiff's work and actively seeking to profit from it whilst evading all calls and efforts to rectify his duplicitous conduct."