Rapper Nicki Minaj is being sued by singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman over claims she sampled her song without permission.
The song in question is “Sorry” featuring Nas, samples Chapman’s 1988 song, “Baby Can I Hold You.” It has been reported that the attempt to get clearance of the sample delayed the release of Minaj’s Queen album. Minaj eventually kept the Aug. 10 release date, but the track “Sorry” did not make the album. Sources report that Funkmaster Flex played the song on Hot 97 which got recorded and picked up by multiple sources which in turn sparked the suit.
Chapman alleges that the track “Sorry” incorporates the lyrics and melody from her song without permission. Although the song did not appear on the album, the song has surfaced online after it was played on a radio show.
According to Chapman’s suit, Minaj handed a copy of her track, “Sorry,” to a DJ at a New York radio station. That is when the DJ promoted the song’s release on his social media platforms and played it on air.
The lawsuit claims that Minaj and her team reached out to Chapman’s team to get permission to use the sample after she had already recorded her song using it. And it also states that Chapman’s representatives repeatedly denied the request.
The Super Bass artist has not yet responded to the suit. But the lawsuit does mention Minaj’s tweets, which are now deleted, acknowledging the struggle of her keeping the song or not keeping it, and waiting for permission which would have delayed the album’s release.
Chapman is suing for damages and wants to stop Minaj from using, copying, or exploiting any of her songs in the future.
The song “Sorry” is no longer available on any streaming services or sites. Tracy Chapman is a four-time Grammy Award-winning artist. She is best known for her songs “Fast Car,” and “Give Me One reason.”
