Moliy and Shaggy
Dancehall legend Shaggy has called out Ghanaian star Moliy for allegedly refusing to grant clearance for other artistes to use the riddim of her hit song Shake It To The Max.
Speaking to journalist Anthony Miller at the Island Music Conference, Shaggy praised DJ Mac for allowing multiple artists to jump on the “WYFL riddim”, saying he had hoped for the same openness with 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,” Shaggy said.
The Grammy-winning artist revealed that both he and Sean Paul recorded songs on the Shake It To The Max riddim but were unable to secure clearance.
“I know Sean had a song, he was fighting over and over to try and get clearance. They wouldn’t give him clearance. I had done a song on it, but they wouldn’t give it clearance,” he disclosed.
According to Shaggy, producer Silent Addy supported the idea, but Moliy — who holds the master rights — did not approve. He suggested she may not fully understand Jamaica’s riddim culture, where multiple artistes using the same beat often help the song grow bigger.
“I think she didn’t understand the culture because she’s not from the culture. Letting everybody go on it actually makes the rhythm bigger,” he said.
Shaggy added that Moliy may have felt uneasy about other artists potentially overshadowing her version.
“But that’s not how the game works, especially where Jamaica is concerned,” he noted.