Thumbnail of the Brand For 199x advertisement that uses the "Deym" song by Flow G featuring Skusta Clee.
Flow G via YouTube, screenshot
MANILA, Philippines — The label of Filipino hip-hop collective Ex Battalion on Wednesday refuted claims that their rappers Flow G and Skusta Clee plagiarized a 2018 song by the rap line of international sensation BTS.
Earlier this week, members of BTS’ official fanbase ARMY alleged that Flow G's promotional song "Deym" closely resembled the sound of “Ddaeng,” which was performed by the K-pop group’s rappers RM, Suga and J-Hope.
you be the judge: right ear - ddaeng by bts; left ear - deym by flow g ft. skusta clee
(i highly advise you to use earphone while listening to this) note: i increased the speed of deym by a bit to match the bpm of each other pic.twitter.com/y509A2ic3O
Ex Battalion Music Management, in a statement sent Philstar.com, said that the two songs in question are “inherently different albeit sounding similar.”
“The beats-per-minute (BPM) of the two songs differ as one is more or less 6-8 BPM faster than the other. Each of the two songs also uses different chord patterns because the producers of the songs are different,” Business Manager Mairon Philip Soliman said.
“Our artists used a generic triplet flow or cadence. Other international artists also used this cadence over the years such as A$AP Rocky and Quavo. These cadences are not owned by anyone as they are of public domain. It was also claimed that the ‘vibe’ of these songs are similar because of this cadence. We would like to point out that the context of these songs is different and ‘vibe’ is subjective,” Soliman said.
“Parallel thinking among artists do happen and it cannot be avoided.”
The controversy has already cost Flow G endorsements, including a million-peso deal.
The management also threatened to file criminal charges against media outlets circulating reports on the allegations “leading to the public shaming of [its] talents” unless they remove these within 72 hours.
It also defended Skusta Clee, who was not part of the songwriting process.
“We would like to appeal to the public and to the fanbase of both groups to refrain from wishing ill on any of the parties involved and rise above all the hate as a show of support and respect to these musicians during this trying time.”