Tracy Chapman is suing Nicki Minaj for robbing her music and sampling it without permission The drama surrounding Nicki Minaj continues. Nicki Minaj's 2018 has been fairly hectic. Advertisement Music aside, she has had an ongoing beef with female rapper Cardi B. The two had constantly been taking subtle shots at each other in their lyrics, and this rivalry came to the forefront at during New York Fashion Week a few weeks ago, which resulted in Cardi B launching a shoe at Nicki's head. But from a music point of view, Nicki's album 'Queen' that came out in August has been a success, placing highly on the billboard charts. One song that wasn't included on Queen was 'Sorry', and it looks to have landed her in quite a bit of trouble. According to BBC, Minaj has been sued by 'Fast Car' singer Tracy Chapman for copyright infringement, relating to the song 'Sorry', which Chapman alleges incorporates the lyrics and vocal melody from her song 'Baby, Can I Hold You' without permission. The lawsuit claims Nicki, real name Onika Tanya Maraj, tried several times to get permission to use the sample after she'd already recorded her song using it. It says Tracy's representatives "repeatedly" denied the request. Advertisement She has not yet responded to the suit.<doc-sep>LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Singer Tracy Chapman is suing rapper Nicki Minaj for copyright infringement.Chapman claims her 1988 single "Baby Can I Hold You" was sampled in Minaj's song "Sorry" without permission.The lawsuit says Chapman's representatives repeatedly denied Minaj's request to use the composition, but Minaj had already recorded the song.The song "Sorry" was not included in Minaj's album "Queen," which was released in August. But Chapman says the song was given to a popular New York disc jockey who played it on the radio and posted it to his social media accounts in August.The suit, filed in Los Angeles federal court, seeks unspecified damages and looks to stop Minaj from releasing "Sorry" commercially.Minaj has not responded to the lawsuit.<doc-sep>Celeb obsessed? Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Tracy Chapman is suing Nicki Minaj for copyright infringement, as the rapper ‘borrowed’ rather large parts of Tracy’s 1988 hit, Baby Can I Hold You, for her own song. It’s been revealed that Tracy has filed a lawsuit over Nicki’s new track, Sorry, that the Barbie-obsessed star hoped to feature on her recent hit album, Queen. Prior to the legal case, Nicki repeatedly reached out on Twitter to obtain rights from the soul singer to sample one of her biggest hit singles - but without success. (Image: Getty) (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images) Despite choosing not to include it on her album, the song was let out into the loose and was premiered on Funkmaster Flex’s Hot 97 radio show. And it still can be heard online here . The lawsuit claims the song “incorporates the lyrics and vocal melody of [Baby Can I Hold You], its most recognizable and memorable parts” and Tracy is seeking damages and an order to stop an official release. Nicki claimed she “had no clue” the song contained a sample and once she found out, sent out various tweets to the singer. “Tracy Chapman, can you please hit me,” she tweeted in August. (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images) (Image: Getty Images North America) She also polled her fans if she should delay the release of Queen to wait for Tracy’s response. “Chapman, through her own agents and representatives, repeatedly denied … after-the-fact requests to use the composition,” reads the suit. A later, since deleted, tweet simply from Minaj said: “Sis said no.” (Image: Ellen Von Unwerth/Paper) In 2005, Tracy said she wasn’t really comfortable about being sampled: “I’m not really a fan of it, especially if people do it without permission. It can work sometimes but at other times it may not be in line with the music that somebody may have come to appreciate from the original. I guess I’m protective,” she said. Meanwhile, fans are convinced that Nicki Minaj and Lewis Hamilton are dating. The Formula 1 star, 33, and US rapper, 35, have been enjoying a break in Dubai where they have individually shared clips of their adventures in the desert. (Image: Instagram/lewishamilton) (Image: Getty Images North America) Lewis and Nicki then finally uploaded couple snaps on their respective Instagram account. The racing ace, who is flipping the bird at camera, is sat behind the rapper as the sun sets behind them in the shot he shared.<doc-sep>
Chapman's representatives said no when Minaj's representatives asked to use the song, court documents obtained by PEOPLE state Tracy Chapman Sues Nicki Minaj for Using Chapman's 'Baby Can I Hold You' in Rapper's Song Tracy Chapman is suing Nicki Minaj for using her song without permission. In documents obtained by PEOPLE, the “Fast Car” hitmaker, 54, accuses Minaj, 35, of including Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You,” which is copyrighted, in Minaj’s “Sorry” featuring Nas, which did not end up on Minaj’s album Queen. “The Infringing Work incorporates the lyrics and vocal melody of the Composition, its most recognizable and memorable parts,” the lawsuit says. “The Composition’s lyrics and vocal melody comprise approximately half of the Infringing Work, and are easily recognizable and identifiable as Chapman’s.” According to the lawsuit, the “Barbie Dreams” rapper (whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj) had already recorded “Sorry” before her representatives asked Chapman’s representatives for permission to use “Baby Can I Hold You” several times. Chapman’s representatives said no, reports The Blast. In July, Minaj’s manager emailed Chapman’s managers to ask if Minaj and Chapman could talk about an “idea that is one of the most personal for [Minaj] that was inspired by [Chapman’s] art.” Days later, Minaj wrote in a since-deleted post —one of multiple tweets about the situation — that she “had no clue” that the song “sampled the legend #Tracy Chapman” and wondered whether to delay Queen‘s release, the lawsuit claims. RELATED VIDEO: Tess Holliday Talks Being Present During Nicki Minaj and Cardi B Fight: Everyone Was Losing Their Minds Minaj allegedly gave a copy of “Sorry” to Funkmaster Flex, who played it on the radio and online. In August, the DJ tweeted, “NICKI GAVE ME SOMETHING!! !” “Maraj wrongfully deprived Chapman of the right and opportunity to decide whether to allow the use of the Composition, and, if so, on what terms,” the lawsuit says. “Maraj, thus, has caused Chapman to incur substantial injury, loss and damage as a result of her wrongdoing.” “The fact that the Infringing Work does not appear on Queen does not relieve Maraj of liability to Chapman for her infringement or make Maraj’s wrongdoing any less deliberate and willful,” the lawsuit adds.