Afrobeats star Davido is in legal trouble in the United States over claims of intellectual property theft.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York has given Davido a 21-day ultimatum to respond to a lawsuit filed by four Nigerian artists Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru.
The artists accuse Davido of stealing their 2022 track, “Work,” and using it in his 2024 song “Strawberry on Ice.” They claim they originally submitted the song for a possible collaboration, but instead, Davido allegedly passed it to Sierra Leonean singer Emmerson, who used its vocals and instrumentals without permission.
Davido was reportedly aware of the issue and agreed to settle. Court documents show he promised to pay $45,000 and also share royalties 40% for the composition and 20% for the recording.
But despite the agreement, Davido missed the March 24 deadline and failed to pay.
Now, the court is demanding action within 21 days, or things could get even messier for the Afrobeats icon.
