D’banj takes legal action against Marc Anthony over ‘Oliver Twist’ sample

Nigerian Afrobeats singer D’banj has disclosed that his legal team has contacted American music legend Marc Anthony over the unauthorized sampling of his 2012 hit song, Oliver Twist.

In a recent interview on Adesope Live, D’banj explained that Marc Anthony sampled Oliver Twist in the title track of his 2024 album, Muevense, without seeking prior permission or clearing the rights.

“Marc Anthony sampling my song was one of my greatest highlights last year,” D’banj said. “He released an album and the title and track one was a sample of Oliver Twist. It sounded like a Latin version. I was initially happy because of who he is, but my legal team had to step in.”

While the Nigerian star expressed admiration for Anthony, he stressed the importance of handling the matter professionally due to the commercial nature of the music industry.

“He didn’t reach out to me before sampling it. The song wasn’t cleared and he put it out officially,” D’banj added. “I don hammer… God works in mysterious ways. The good thing about it is that it is already released. My legal people are handling it and I know they are going high.”

D’banj’s hit track Oliver Twist played a major role in taking Afrobeats global and remains one of his most successful singles.