Alabaster Box said their copyright issue with Medikal is still in court
Ghanaian gospel music duo, Alabaster Box, has given an update on their ongoing legal dispute with rapper Medikal, emphasising that they attempted to resolve the matter amicably before resorting to the courts.
Speaking in an interview on Hitz FM on February 17, 2026, the group confirmed that the case remains before the courts, despite failed efforts to settle the disagreement outside the judiciary.
“We’re still in court… He knows we’re in court. Everybody knows we’re in court. The wheels of justice grind slowly. I think it’s the right thing to do,” they said.
Alabaster Box provides update on legal battle with Medikal over ‘Akwaaba’ sample
According to the group, they had shown ‘maturity’ by attempting to reach out to Medikal’s team, but the response from the other end has been frustrating to them.
“We extended the olive branch, and we showed seniority and common sense. Maturity. It wasn’t out of anger or malice,” they said.
They noted that early efforts involved contacting representatives from Medikal’s side and agreeing to engage through a neutral intermediary.
They said they also brought in a lawyer to help facilitate discussions, but the process collapsed once legal counsel was introduced.
“We’ve tried to approach it outside the court system. The first thing we did was call his people and we got in touch with them, and then they brought in a middle person. Then we said, ‘okay then let’s also bring our middle person,’ and the middle person we brought just happened to be a lawyer. And they ran away from that. It wasn’t like we were going to squeeze them,” they said.
As a result, the court granted permission for substitute service after attempts to formally serve legal documents failed.
They noted that any potential out-of-court settlement now must be directed through the judiciary, saying the matter is “out of their hands” and entirely in the court’s jurisdiction.
At the time of the report, Medikal and his representatives had not publicly responded to the latest update from Alabaster Box.
Background
Alabaster Box filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Ghanaian rapper Medikal (Samuel Adu Frimpong) in April 2025, claiming that his song ‘Welcome to Africa’ illegally sampled their iconic track ‘Akwaaba’ without permission.
The group argued in court papers that the first 10 seconds of Medikal’s track closely mirror their original work and that its distribution, especially with explicit or profane content, tarnishes their brand and reputation.
They also said Medikal’s use of their composition required proper authorisation and revenue accounting.
Alabaster Box filed the case in the High Court of Justice in Accra, seeking GH¢15 million in damages (GH¢10 million for copyright infringement and GH¢5 million for exemplary damages), an injunction to remove ‘Welcome to Africa’ from all platforms, and a full accounting of earnings from the song.
After repeated unsuccessful attempts to serve Medikal with court documents in person, the High Court granted an order allowing substituted service via social media and public notices in mid-2025.
ID/EB
Meanwhile, watch GhanaWeb’s exposé on the ‘dark side of Kayamata’ and its devastating impact
