PETALING JAYA, Sept 14 — Cosmetics businessman Datuk Aliff Syukri can’t seem to catch a break these days.
The release of his latest single, Bobo Dimana triggered numerous controversies; among them criticism that its lyrics and the accompanying video is soft porn.
In the latest, Indonesian rapper Roy Ricardo has accused the Malaysian personality of ripping off his song Semalem Bobo Dimana which hit airwaves back in 2014.
The 29-year-old Ricardo posted his own reaction video after fans flooded his social media account asking him to explain the similarities between the two songs.
The Jakarta rapper was clearly not amused after hearing Bobo Dimana, sung by Aliff, Indonesian singer Lucinta Luna, and Malaysian cosmetics entrepreneur Nur Sajat Kamaruzzaman.
“Please give back the 30 seconds of my life which I just wasted,” Ricardo said after watching a snippet from the song’s lyric video.
In a dissection of Bobo Dimana’s lyrics, the Indonesian said the chorus was a near verbatim copy of lines in Semalem Bobo Dimana.
The rapper also clarified that he was not seeking financial compensation from Aliff, but only that his permission is asked before using his song.
“I am not asking for money,” he said. “God has already gifted me with a lot of it.”
He compared the situation to Sabahan singer Andi Bernadee’s cover of his song, retitled Semalem Sahur Di Mana.
Prior to its release, Bernadee had discussed the song with Ricardo and also credited the latter as the original composer and songwriter.
In response to all the drama, Aliff took to his Instagram to say that the accusations were merely hollow words coming from those who wanted to start trouble.
“The music and lyrics are completely different, it’s just the words that are the same,” he said in a series of video clips posted to his Instagram Stories.
“People are purposefully trying to find fault with the song when others are okay with it,” said the 31-year-old sounding disappointed.
