Rapper Obrafuor of Ghana has filed a lawsuit against Drake of America for copyright violations.
Obrafour is suing Drake for using a sample of his “Oye Ohene (Remix)” in his song “Calling My Name,” according to information from the lawsuit that has been posted online through the District Court of Southern District of New York.
Details of the suit suggest that Drake had sought permission to sample the song via email but the email was never responded to. He, however, went ahead to release the track which was featured in an album days later.
“Obrafour had not yet responded to the June 8, 2022 Clearance Email or the follow-up June 13, 2022 Clearance Email at the point when Drake’s “Honestly, Nevermind” album was released on June 17, 2022. 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 suit reads.
Based on the success of the song which was on Drake’s highly published, “Honestly, Nevermind” album, Obrafour is asking for $10,000,000 as compensation.
“Obrafour sues for copyright infringement under the Copyright Act and seeks all remedies afforded to him thereunder, including preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, monetary damages, including but not limited to, actual damages, profits directly and indirectly attributable to from Defendants’ infringing conduct, statutory damages under the Copyright Act in the sum of up to $150,000.00 per infringement where such infringement commenced after the Copyrighted Work was registered with the United States Copyright Office, and other economic relief,” part of the suit reads.
