Jah Prayzah Accused of ‘Stealing’ New Song “Moto” from Fellow Zimbabwean Musician

Jah Prayzah Accused of Plagiarizing New Song “Moto” from Another Zimbabwean Musician

Jah Prayzah’s recent album, “I am in the reproach,” has been creating a buzz since its successful launch in Harare last weekend. However, the joy might be short-lived as a fresh plagiarism controversy emerges, marking not the first time the renowned artist has faced such allegations.

Scholar Raises Concerns over “Moto”
Dr. Blessing Ivan Vava, a respected academic and regional director at Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, voiced his concerns on Facebook regarding the similarities between Jah Prayzah’s song “Moto” and Kurai Makore’s “Kanyarugwe,” released in 2024.

Dr. Vava’s post highlighted the issue: “What about copyright law? Listening to Jah Prayzah’s “Moto” from his latest album “Ndini Mukudzei” sounds like a copied version of Kurai Makore’s “Kanyarugwe.”

A History of Previous Controversies
This is not new ground for Jah Prayzah. In 2014, he openly admitted to using the beat from Ghanaian artist Emmanuel Samini’s 2007 hit “Samini” for his song “Mwanasikana.”

At that time, Jah explained it as an inadvertent error, saying, “I was watching an African movie and liked the soundtrack. I was unaware it was a released song. The beat was appealing, and I felt tempted to use it in one of my songs.” He only realized the connection to Samini after a friend noted the similarities and shared a link.

Chris
With a family background in television and radio, Chris Matambanadzo naturally ventured into the media industry. An enthusiastic reader who considers himself a philosopher and poet, Chris is passionate about anime, music, and movies.