Drake has been sued for $10 million by the Ghanaian rapper Obrafour following the Canadian artist’s use of an uncleared sample on the song “Calling My Name” from his latest album, Honestly, Nevermind. According to Hip Hop Hero, the West African artist (real name Michael Darko) took legal action against Drake in the District Court of Southern New York after hearing a sample of his track on Drake’s project.
According to Obrafour, the song uses his renowned “Oye Ohene (Remix).” However, Darko is insistent neither Drake nor his team contacted him before the single’s release.
The legal action against Drake is an accusation of copyright infringement. Many Drizzy fans know he has recently incorporated African genres, such as Amapiano and Afrobeat, into his work. However, in this instance, it seems he has chosen not to credit the artiste from whom he borrowed music.
According to the outlet, the lawsuit assembled by Obrafour’s lawyers states that the producer of “Calling My Name” did not even attempt to manipulate the sample but instead used the song in such an obvious manner it warrants compensation; “Nonetheless, the Infringing Work is one of the songs appearing on the Honestly, Nevermind album, as released to the world by ‘surprise’ on June 17, 2022. The copying of the Sampled Phrase in the Infringing Work is so direct in nature that the audio of the Sampled Phrase heard in the Infringing Work contains little or no audible manipulation, processing, or other alteration to its original character as heard in the Copyrighted Work.”
