Nigerian artiste Okafor Uchenna Victor, popularly known as Mr Real, has voiced his frustration over what he describes as the alarming rate of intellectual property theft in the country’s music industry.

The Legbegbe hitmaker lamented that Afrobeats, despite its global success, has gradually lost its originality, as many artistes allegedly recycle ideas or outrightly copy from others without acknowledgment.

Speaking in a recent interview with Hip TV, Mr Real noted that the practice of song theft is widespread, affecting both emerging and established artistes.

However, he emphasized that upcoming musicians suffer the most because they lack the platform and fanbase to call out bigger names who exploit their creativity.

He further pointed out that even some veteran acts, like Blackface, who often accuse others of plagiarism, have also been guilty of using other artistes’ works without proper permission in the past.

“Blackface dey always complain say dem dey steal him song. But truth be say Afrobeats no really get originality again. Even Rema fit steal Omah Lay song — e fit happen because for this industry, if you no sharp, omo boys go run you street. No time,” he said in Pidgin English.

Mr Real added that the trend of idea recycling and song duplication has become so normalised that many see it as part of the game.

He urged artistes to focus more on creativity and authenticity rather than shortcuts that could harm the industry’s integrity.

According to him, protecting intellectual property should be a top priority if Afrobeats must continue to thrive globally.