Following the Friday (January 21) release of the single Lick, a collaboration between Jamaica’s Shenseea and America’s Megan Thee Stallion, Trinidadian singer Denise Belfon has given the song, which samples her 1998 hit, Work, the stamp of approval.

After the song’s highly anticipated release last Friday, many questioned whether the Shenseaa-Stallion duo had received Belfon’s permission for the sampling of her song, prior to the new track’s release.

Seeking to allay the concerns of the masses that Belfon would take legal action for the use of her lyrics, the soca artiste on Friday issued a statement confirming that everything concerning the new track was in fact “above board”.

“Everything is above board. I would like to send love and congrats to Shenseea, Megan Thee Stallion and their recording labels Interscope, 300 entertainment, Warner Music Group and their management teams, Mr Romeich and Wassim Slaiby and the producer Murda Beatz for considering and using my song, Work/Put Your Back In It, on their mega-hit, Lick,” said Belfon.

Noting that Lick is a chance for soca music to once again land on the Billboard Hot 100 music charts, the New York-based soca singer said: “I am very grateful and wish them the best of luck. Let’s get it to number one on the Billboard charts, ladies. Soca influences the world.”

In a video shared online from Friday’s launch party at the Doux nightclub in New York, Shenseea publicly thanked Belfon for granting her approval to sample her song.

She stated: “I just want to say big up, Denise. She is the original queen for ‘Put yuh back in it’, the whining queen straight from Trinidad. And I wanna say I am a woman and I love to support women. Me doh like when gyal ah fight down each other; dem ugly.

“Mi like women who support each other, support other women, support each other business, whey stand up with each other against any waste man wha talk to all ah we. So big up yuhself Denise, thank you so much for clearing my song. Yuh never fight me, yuh put down yuh hand and held me up.”

Since its premiere on Friday (January 21), Lick, which was produced by Murda Beatz, has amassed some 3.3 million YouTube views and has made its way onto a number of international music charts.

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