Drake Sued For $10M Over ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ Sample
Drake is in some legal trouble. The Toronto rapper is being sued over a sample he used on his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind. According to Billboard, Ghanaian artist Obrafour filed a lawsuit against the rapper on Tuesday (April 18) over a sample Drizzy used on the track “Calling My Name.”
At the 53-second mark of “Calling My Name,” a vocalist can be heard saying “Killer cut, blood, killer cut,” which Obrafour claims is a line from his 2003 remix of “Oye Ohene.”
The lawsuit states that the Ghanaian artist is seeking at least $10 million in damages. Drizzy is not the only defendant in the case. Along with the Grammy-winner music producer Alex Lustig, DJ Diamante Blackmon, songwriter and producer Johannes Klahr, and musician Beau Nox, are all listed as co-defendants and contributed to the track as a writer or producer.
Drizzy’s record label OVO Sound, Republic Records, its owner, and Universal Music Group (UMG) have also been listed as co-defendants.
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According to the complaint, Drake’s agent asked for permission to use the sample days before the project was officially released. The email was sent on June 8, 2022, and the agent followed up on June 13.
The project was released on June 17 and a reply from Obrafour had not been received.
Like most Drake projects, the project did well. Honestly, Nevermind debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200, and “Calling My Name” was watched by 4.2 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.”
The $10 million is not the only compensation Obrafour is seeking. He also wants profits from record sales, streaming, live performances, and other sources of revenue associated with “Calling My Name.” The Ghanaian artist wants his legal expenses paid by the Toronto rapper.
