Music

Dimmu Borgir says a rapper is stealing their songs... again

by Mark Teo

Rap and metal have a storied history together—they crossed paths on the Judgment Night soundtrack, collectively got their eyebrows pierced during the nü metal era, and discussed their love of slasher flicks, sriracha and bacon when horrorcore emerged. But hip hop has seldom touched upon black metal, which is why it’s surprising that Bushido, a German rapper, has been accused of plagiarizing Dimmu Borgir melodies.

According to Blabbermouth, someone notified Dimmu Borgier of the similarities between Bushido’s “Leben und Tod des Kenneth Glöckler,” a track that’s already racked up 6 million views, with “Dimmu Borgir,” from the Oslo metal band’s Abahadabra.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison. First, Bushido’s track:

Then Dimmu Borgir’s:

You be the judge. To us, both songs sound like something you’d hear on the soundtrack for Stephen Spielberg’s Poltergeist. Surprisingly, though, it isn’t the first time Dimmu Borgir and Bushido have collided. Back in 2007, the band threatened to sue the rapper over his booty-shaking Germanic banger, “Mittelfingah,” from his das tape (we assume that’s a mixtape) King of Kingz.

The thing that had Dimmu Borgir’s liederhosen twisted? The band claimed the song stole melodies from “Mourning Palace.”

Compare those songs below. First, Bushido:

The Dimmu:

So, what do you think—is this tribute, copyright infringement, or a simple coincidence?