From claims of copyright theft to allegations of sabotaging his music career, Blackface has been quite vocal about how he feels about Tuface.
Famous singer Ahmedu Obiabo, aka Blackface, has shed more light on the origin of his dispute with former band member Innocent Idibia, aka Tubaba.
From claims of copyright theft to allegations of sabotaging his music career, Blackface has been quite vocal about how he feels about Tubaba.
In November 2019, the singer apologised to Tubaba on the heels of an out-of-court settlement for their unending copyright infringement battle in Lagos.
The singer claimed to have buried the hatchet but has yet to sheathe his sword as he has fought running battles with his former band members, Tubaba and Faze.
In 2016, Blackface threatened to sue Tubaba for allegedly stealing his song, 'Let Somebody Love You,' a 2014 song, the latter released with Bridget Kelly, an American singer and songwriter.
The accusation lingered till November 2019, when they both reached the said out-of-court agreement, which included the cessation of hostilities.
Before that, Blackface also claimed he wrote Tubaba's monster hit, African Queen, and went ahead to release his version.
In 2019, the dancehall singer accused Faze of conspiracy for performing the group's song with Tubaba.
In an explosive recent interview on The Honest Bunch podcast, Blackface, a member of the defunct music group Plantashun Boiz, recalled how he founded the band in his father's backyard in Otukpo in Benue State.
According to him, after creating the band of two, he and Tubaba, who was then known as Tuface, scored some gigs and toured some Northern cities.
However, at that point, he had to resume school at the Institute of Management Technology, Enugu.
"I said let me finish my school first, and then I'll continue my music. And then, when I went to IMT. Tuface came to meet me in IMT, and he was like the music was still in his head, and he didn't know how to go about it.
"I am that guy to straight-line anything you want to do if it's music especially. And I said the number one thing you have to do is stop jumping from group to group. I'm preparing to go to Lagos, but I could take you with me. And that was how I brought Tuface with me from Enugu to Lagos," he said.
Lagos and the Faze saga
On getting to Lagos, the 'Hard Life' singer said they lived with his brother, Sam Ahmedu, in Obalende before moving to FESTAC.
In that era, he said, they met show promoter Nelson Brown, got the Rothman's groove, went on tours, met the remedies and did all that.
He said, "I knew Faze before he joined our group. Then I said to Tuface, this guy has to join our group because the harmonies I'm hearing in my head are more than two. I need a third harmony, and the guy looks like you. But Tuface didn't like it".
He said it took Tuface up to six months before he agreed for Faze to join the group.
The IP theft gang-up
Before now, Blackface had always been vocal about the illegal sampling of his songs.
In 2022, he accused Burna Boy and Wizkid of sampling his song, 'Twist and Turn', without permission.
Revisiting the issue, he insisted that Wizkid's 'Slow Whine' is from his song, 'I Like the Way'.
He likened the alleged theft to taking from a fountain where water comes out from and then denying that the fountain exists.
"If the water does not exist anymore, how can you question where they are getting the water from? It's Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido because they are all friends. I think they may discuss among themselves about which song to steal.
"Wizkid's 'Ojuelegba' is my song 'Since You've Been Gone' in the same album as 'Whine It'. Wizkid's Ginger, featuring Burna Boy, is my song 'Twist and Turn'," he said.
The African Queen debacle
Revising the 'African Queen' track, Blackface noted that Tuface and the late producer, OJB Jezreel, wrote the third verse of the song without consulting him.
"I believe OJB would have written the third verse with OJB for his version. That is the reason why when Sony Music wrote to me, they said African Queen has 50 per cent for Tuface, 25 per cent for me, and 25 per cent for OJB Jezreel.
"OJB Jezreel did not write my song, and I had already given Tuface 50 per cent of my song because he did it as a cover. As he did that song with JB, OJB probably wrote the third verse with him. I was not in the studio. I don't know.
"But if he wanted to record that song after I had given him the chance, he should have called me. I would have been there gladly to work with OJB and him," he said.
He further noted that after the song was released, they used that music for the Phat Girls movie soundtrack and didn't pay him licensing fees.
"Again, AY used it in 10 Days in Sun City, of which Tuface went to re-record the song without my permission.
"He needed my permission to record that song again. That I permitted him to record for Kennis Music doesn't mean he can go and record it subsequently. But they re-recorded it and put it in '10 Days in Sun City'.
"Did they give me mechanical royalties? No. Did they give me licensing fees? No. Did they give me credit? No. I've tried to correct the fact that the song belongs to me," the 'Ahead of the Game' singer added.
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The break up
On how the Plantashun Boiz disbanded, Blackface said he had spoken to Olisa Adibua before about taking their music worldwide. "And then, Olisa and Obi Asika started creating Storm Records to make it happen."
"They formed the company because they wanted to sign Plantashun Boiz. When I was talking to Olisa, he kept telling me that the lawyer was still putting the documents together, trying to form the company and all that.
"Then, when we got there on the day to sign the document, Tuface said he didn't want to sign. Faze and I looked at him, and he said he already had management," the controversial singer revealed.
According to him, that was the event that led to the end of the band.
He, however, said that he had forgiven Tuface for any wrong he had done while also asking the singer to forgive him if he had offended him in any way.
Plantashun Boiz disbanded in 2004, shortly after Tubaba left the group to pursue a solo music career.
In 2007, the band attempted a comeback with the release of an album, 'Plan B'.
However, in 2021, the trio reunited to perform their self-titled track, Plantashun Boiz, and a tribute song to the late Sound Sultan.
Faze, who provided the hit 'Kolomental', is still a performing artiste to date and now goes by the title Fazealone.
