Shaggy said Moliy refused him and Sean Paul clearance to use Shake It To The Max riddim
Global sensation Moliy has been accused by legendary reggae musician Shaggy of refusing to grant clearance for other artistes to use the riddim of her hit song Shake It To The Max.
Speaking with journalist Anthony Miller at the Island Music Conference, Shaggy expressed his admiration for how DJ Mac allowed other artistes to use the “WYFL riddim,” noting that he had expected a similar approach from Moliy and her team for “Shake It To The Max.”
“I love what’s going on with that rhythm. Big up to DJ Mac because he has decided to let other people use it. This was kind of what I was hoping to happen with Shake It To The Max. That was a big rhythm,” he said.
Shaggy further disclosed that he, alongside Sean Paul, had created songs using the “Shake It to the Max” riddim, but their efforts to obtain clearance from Moliy were unsuccessful.
Ghana’s Moliy lands international milestone
“I know Sean had a song, he was fighting over and over to try and get clearance for the song. They wouldn’t give him clearance. I had done a song on it, they wouldn’t give it clearance,” he explained.
The reggae legend clarified that the producer of the beat, Silent Addy, was fully supportive, but Moliy, who holds the master rights, did not understand the broader culture of riddims especially in Jamaica, where allowing multiple artistes to use a beat actually helps it gain popularity.
“It was no fault of Silent Addy because I know they were totally down with it. I think Moliy was the one that didn’t. And she didn’t understand the culture because she’s not from the culture. So, she didn’t understand that letting everybody go on it actually makes the rhythm get bigger,” he said.
Shaggy added that Moliy might have felt threatened, worrying that other artistes jumping on her riddim could overshadow her success.
“I think at that point she probably felt a little threatened that everybody’s jumping on her song. But that’s not how the game works, especially where Jamaica is concerned. So it didn’t quite happen with that,” he noted.
AK/EB
