Minister Utumatwishima Supports Chriss Eazy in Copying Claims: SAMBOLELA by Chriss Eazy
Minister Utumatwishima addresses the controversy surrounding Chriss Eazy’s song 'Sambolela' and highlights the importance of creative inspiration.
Dr. Utumatwishima Jean Nepo Abdallah, the Minister of Youth and Arts Development, explained that it’s acceptable for an artist to build on someone else’s work to create their own.
This came after a social media user, Caguwa, accused Chriss Eazy on platform X of copying visuals and sound techniques for his song "Sambolela." Caguwa wrote,
“This is disappointing. Imagine being an artist and copying visuals and songs from others.”
He also compared Chriss Eazy's work to "Mario" by Franco and said,
“Take a look for yourselves.”
Some supported these accusations, while others defended Chriss Eazy, including Dr. Utumatwishima. The minister referenced Singapore’s rapid development, saying,
“Singapore succeeded because it didn’t reinvent everything. Instead, it sent its youth to countries like Japan and the U.S. to learn. They then returned to develop Singapore based on a principle: Copy, Modify, and Paste.”
He added that using inspiration from others is acceptable, provided intellectual property rights are respected.
Junior Giti, Chriss Eazy’s manager, also refuted the claims, stating,
“We didn’t copy. It’s normal to borrow a small part of a song to honor its creator or its history, and it doesn’t violate any rules.”
