Video: ‘I didn’t make a dime from Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo challenge’ – Brain Jotter

Popular Nigerian comedian and skit maker, Chukwuebuka Amuzie, known professionally as Brain Jotter, has responded to the viral reports about potential exploitation of Mike Ejeagha’s 1983 hit song ‘Gwo Gwo Gwo Ngwo’.

The song gained renewed popularity due to a trending dance challenge initiated by Brain Jotter.

The challenge has received massive attention, with Brain Jotter’s video garnering 29.1 million views and over 30,000 comments on Instagram, and 19.6 million views with over 23,000 comments on TikTok.

The viral success brought focus to the 93-year-old Ejeagha and his music, leading to an outpouring of goodwill towards him.

Brain Jotter generously offered Ejeagha N2 million.

However, some individuals accused Brain Jotter of copyright infringement and exploiting the song for personal gain.

Addressing these accusations in a viral video on Tuesday, the comedian clarified his intentions:

“For those who think we ripped him off or we’re making money from this whole thing, I understand your concerns and they are very valid. I appreciate the fact that you want him to get value for his hard work, which is very valid, and I want you to understand that you are doing something good,” Brain Jotter stated as he posted a video on Tuesday of his visit to the music legend.

He stated, “At the end of the day, no dime was made from this song by me, nothing like that.”

Explaining how the system of content monetisation works on various platforms, he said, “All those music where I did put out there – Instagram, Facebook, YouTube – everything, the whole revenue is going to Mike Ejeagha’s record label, his production company.

“You cannot even monetise another person’s song because these platforms have copyright violation tools. If I post that video on YouTube, YouTube strikes it for copyright and they give the revenue to the actual owner, which is Mike Ejeagha.

“If you post it on Facebook, Facebook will tell you outright that this song does not belong to you, it belongs to this person. They take the revenue and give it to the actual owner.”

The comedian added, “The song increased its streams on streaming platforms massively, and there’s no way I can put the song on streaming platforms. So everything, all revenues, are going straight to Mike Ejeagha.”