Eddie Murphy Accused of Stealing Reggae Album Concept
Eddie Murphy has fans feeling his socially-conscious vibe with his new reggae-tinged song 'Red Light,' but not everyone is happy with the comedian-turned-crooner.
Reggae producer Kemar McGregor is accusing Murphy of stealing the ideas and sounds he developed for Musiq Soulchild and Syleena Johnson's collaborative reggae album, '9ine.'
According to Singersroom.com, McGregor was contacted by the 52-year-old funnyman to produce songs for his album, which, coincidentally, is called '9.' He feels that Murphy is riding on the coattails of Musiq and Syleena's project.
"Eddie Murphy is a Hollywood superstar and Snoop Lion is a major hip-hop artist. For them to steal an idea from two R&B singers and a Jamaican reggae producer shows a lack of respect," says McGregor. “We have been working on this idea since November of last year. The idea has been publicized on Billboard.com, on TV and on the internet. There has been footage of the sessions on the 'R&B Divas' TV show, and there is footage on YouTube about how the '9ine' concept came about. There's evidence and proof that the concept for the idea is ours."
While we understand McGregor's frustration, it's kind of hard to prove that Murphy purposely set out to copy Musiq and Syleena's reggae album, '9ine,' which, by the way, hits stores on Sept. 24.
Furthermore, 'Feel the Fire' -- a song by Sylenna and Musiq -- and 'Red Light' don't sound the same and they certainly have different messages in their music. We see no reason why both songs can't co-exist.
Murphy's camp has yet to respond to the theft accusations.
But what say you? Do you think Murphy stole ideas and sounds from Musiq Soulchild and Syleena Johnson's album? Tell us in the comments below.