Drake has found himself in some hot water, as he’s being sued over a sample he used on his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind.
According to Billboard, Ghanaian artist Obrafour took legal action against Drizzy on Tuesday (April 18) through the U.S. District Court southern district of New York over a sample the Toronto rapper used on the track “Calling My Name.”
Obrafour claims the song contains an unauthorized sample from one of his works. At the 53-second mark of Drake’s version of that track, a vocalist can be heard saying “Killer cut, blood, killer cut,” which the Ghanaian artist claims is a line from his 2003 remix of “Oye Ohene.”
The lawsuit states that Obrafour is seeking a minimum of $10million in damages. Along with Drake, the lawsuit names a whole host of co-defendants, including Drizzy’s record company OVO, Republic Records, its owner, Universal Music Group (UMG), among others.
Also named in the suit are music producer Alex Lustig, DJ Diamante Blackmon (current stage name GORDO, formerly Carnage), songwriter and producer Johannes Klahr, and musician Beau Nox, all of whom are listed as producers or writers on the track.
According to the complaint, Drake’s agent emailed Obrafour asking for permission to sample the song just days before the project came out — the email was sent on June 8, 2022, and the agent followed up on June 13.
When “Calling My Name” was released on June 17, Obrafour hadn’t yet replied to these emails.
Following its release, the album generated more than 250 million streams, according to the complaint. In its own right, “Calling My Name” has been listened to by more than 47 million people on Spotify and watched by 4.1 million people on YouTube.
“Defendants continue to engage in infringement, despite acknowledging that they needed to secure rights and authorization from Obrafour,” the rapper’s legal team wrote. “Defendants have never accounted to, credited, or otherwise compensated Obrafour for their unauthorized use of the copyrighted work.”
Apart from the $10million in damages, the lawsuit also seeks profits from record sales, streaming, live performances, and other sources of revenue associated with “Calling My Name.” In addition, Obrafour is requesting compensation for legal expenses.
Ghana’s local media has described Obrafour as one of the most popular figures on the local music scene. He performs hiplife, which is a blend of Hip Hop and Ghanaian culture.
