Davido Dragged to US Court Over Alleged Song Theft & Unpaid $45K Deal

Afrobeats superstar Davido has found himself at the center of a serious legal storm in the U.S., as a Manhattan court has summoned him to appear within 21 days over allegations of song theft and copyright breach. 😳💥

The lawsuit, filed by four Nigerian artists—Martins Chukwuka Emmanuel, Abel Great Umaru, Kelvin Ayodele Campbell, and David Ovhioghena Umaru—claims Davido copied their 2022 track “Work” and used it to cook up his 2024 release “Strawberry on Ice.” 🍓🔥

According to legal documents, the artists say they sent Davido a demo back in 2022, hoping for a collab. But instead of teaming up, Davido allegedly passed the demo to Sierra Leonean singer Emmerson, who sampled it and dropped the track—without any permission. 😤

After some back and forth, a settlement was reached in March 2025 where Davido agreed to pay $45,000 and hand over a chunk of the royalties. But the deal fell through when Davido allegedly ghosted the payment deadline. Now, the artists are suing for $150K in damages, copyright rights, and a legal block on the song’s use. 💰⚖️

This case isn’t just tea—it’s a wake-up call on how intellectual property rights are handled in the music biz. Artists are now watching closely to see how this plays out.