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Yeasayer have sued Kendrick Lamar and the Weeknd over the Black Panther soundtrack single ‘Pray For Me’.
TMZ reports that Lamar, The Weeknd and their creative teams have allegedly lifted a “distinctive choral performance” from Yeasayer’s 2007 track “Sunrise,” tweaked it and then made it a “material and substantial portion” of their hit 2018 single, according to court documents filed on Monday.
The band claims in the lawsuit that the song infringes their ‘All Hour Cymbals’ song ‘Sunrise.’
The suit claims that Lamar and The Weeknd, real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, modified the recording with “intent to conceal the infringement” and used it at least eight times in ‘Pray for Me’.
The allegedly copied snippet is described as “comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato.”
The filing also states: “Despite the processing, Defendants’ use of [Yeasayer’s] song nonetheless retains each of its inherent characteristics… and is immediately recognizable as [Yeasayer’s] material.
Yeasayer – who broke up at the end of 2019 – are asking for an undisclosed amount in damages and profits from “Pray for Me.”
They also want an injunction to stop all sales and licensing of the song over the alleged copyright infringement.
NME has contacted reps of The Weeknd for comment.
The post Yeasayer sues Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd over ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack song appeared first on NME Music News, Reviews, Videos, Galleries, Tickets and Blogs | NME.COM.
