It has been brought to the attention of Ex-Battalion Music Management that the song “DEYM” by Archie “Flow G” Dela Cruz bears some resemblance to “DDAENG” by BTS. It was alleged by articles going around the internet that Flow G plagiarized the BTS song and made it his own. We at Ex-Battalion Music Management specifically deny all of these allegations.
The two songs are inherently different albeit sounding similar. The beats-per-minute (bpm) of the two songs differ as one is more or less 6-8bpm faster than the other. Each of the two songs also uses different chord patterns because the producers of the songs are different.
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 the 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. Parallel thinking among artists does happen and it cannot be avoided.
These allegations were exacerbated by GMA News who published the article without checking the veracity of the allegations, leading to the public shaming of our talents. It also cost Flow G some endorsement deals. We demand that GMA News, and all other media outlets, remove these publications from their website within 72 hours or else we will be forced to file criminal charges against them.
As for Mr. Daryl “Skusta Clee” Ruiz, these allegations brought about a smear campaign against his name and reputation even though he had nothing to do with the songwriting process. He was just shown in the video as an ambassador of the brand. There is even a movement called “#SkustaCleeGoingToJailParty” even though there will be no jail time involved even if there is a conviction of copyright infringement.
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.
