Changmo is accusing an American rapper of copying an album cover of his past work.
Read on for full details.
Changmo's Album Cover Gets Plagiarized by American Rapper
On the afternoon of Feb. 25, Changmo drew attention after posting a photo on his Instagram story where he revealed that his previous album cover was "stolen" by a U.S. rapper.
The picture he uploaded was a screenshot of a song released on Spotify. Titled "Whatever You Want," the track was sung by an American rapper named The Boyboy West Coast.
Under the image, Changmo accused the foreign artist of plagiarism as he said, "He stole my artwork wtf. I'm out of words, all I can do is laugh at it."
ALSO READ: Rapper Changmo Criticized for Rude Remarks on Instagram
The single cover of "Whatever You Want" goes with a red theme and shows a man sitting in front of a red car with roses around him. This looks exactly like the album cover for Changmo's second full album "UNDERGROUND ROCKSTAR."
"UNDERGROUND ROCKSTAR" was released on Nov. 11 of last year, while "Whatever You Want" came out eight days later. The Boyboy West Coast was seen sharing the cover on Instagram at the time and said, "My new single is released."
Hence, fans were already pouring out criticisms toward the American rapper last year. However, the foreign artist seems to deny the accusation as he said through an Instagram post that "The color was only used for the artistic concept during the photo shoot."
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With Changmo belatedly realizing that the U.S. rapper plagiarized his album cover, fans are demanding an apology from The Boyboy West Coast. A few of the fans' comments are "This is theft," "Apologize to Changmo," "Isn't the man in the cover Changmo?" "They used it without asking for permission. They should apologize," and more.
Meanwhile, Changmo is about to begin his mandatory military service anytime soon.
Changmo Gets Nominated at Korean Music Awards 2022
In other news, Changmo is one of the nominees in multiple categories at the Korean Music Awards 2022.
First, the Korean rapper is included in the Best Rap and Hip Hop Song category. His 2021 song "TAIJI" will go up against BILL STAX's "420 Flow" (featuring lobonabeat!), Los' "Blue Lemonade" (featuring Hwaji), SINCE' "Spring Rain" (featuring Rakon), and Don Miss' "DAEBAK Life" (featuring Northfacegawd, UNEDUCATED KID).
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Changmo is also a candidate for the Best Rap and Hip Hop Album with his latest work "UNDERGROUND ROCKSTAR." The full album is nominated alongside Choi LB's "Independent Music," Mild Beats' "Fragment," Los' "SKANDALOUZ," and unofficialboyy & HAIFHAIF's "Net, Trap, Launcher, Capture."
"TAIJI" serves as the title track of his second studio album "UNDERGROUND ROCKSTAR," which contains a total of 11 songs. If the artist will enlist in the military soon, this album would be his last music release.
This is the first time that the Korean rapper got nods at the Korean music awards ceremony, so it is already meaningful for the artist.
The Korean Music Awards 2022 will take place on March 1 starting at 6 p.m. KST and will be streamed live.
While waiting for the music awards show, watch Changmo's "TAIJI" music video here!
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Written by Mhaliya Scott