Alabaster Box
Gospel group, Alabaster Box, says taking rapper, Medikal, to court was “the right thing to do” after attempts to settle their copyright dispute failed.
Speaking on Hitz FM on Tuesday, the group confirmed that the case is still before the court.
“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.
The group insisted they tried to resolve the matter amicably before filing the lawsuit.
“We extended the olive branch, and we showed seniority and common sense. Maturity. It wasn’t out of anger or malice,” they stated.
According to them, initial efforts involved contacting Medikal’s representatives and agreeing to use a neutral intermediary. However, talks broke down when they brought in a lawyer to facilitate discussions.
“We’ve tried to approach it outside the court system. The first thing we did was call his people; we got in touch with them, and then they brought in a middleman. 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 explained.
As a result of failed attempts to formally serve court papers, the court granted permission for substituted service. The group said any possible settlement must now go through the judiciary.
“The matter is out of our hands,” they noted, stressing that it is now entirely within the court’s jurisdiction.
Alabaster Box filed a copyright infringement suit against Medikal, born Samuel Adu Frimpong, in April 2025. The group alleges that his song, Welcome to Africa, unlawfully sampled their hit track, Akwaaba, without permission.
They argue that the first 10 seconds of “Welcome to Africa” closely mirror their original composition and that the song’s distribution, particularly with explicit content, has damaged their brand. They are seeking GH¢15 million in damages — GH¢10 million for copyright infringement and GH¢5 million in exemplary damages — an injunction to remove the song from all platforms, and a full account of revenue generated.
The case was filed at the High Court of Justice in Accra. After repeated failed attempts to serve Medikal personally, the court allowed substituted service through social media and public notices in mid-2025.
