Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd are being sued for their work on a soundtrack song for Marvel’s Black Panther. Black Panther was a rare sensation, as the film directed by Ryan Coogler seemed to set records and experience incredible amounts of success in every possible avenue. Critically, the Marvel Cinematic Universe tale was showered with praise, becoming the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscar’s. Keeping in line with its themes and mostly all African-American cast, Black Panther hit theaters during Black History month, and went on to break several box office records, and surpassed $1 billion at the worldwide box office. In addition to this, the film’s album also generated a great deal of buzz and contributed to the phenomenon that was Black Panther.

After teasing his involvement in Black Panther: The Album, notable rapper Lamar helped spearhead the project by producing and singing songs for the album. The album ultimately topped the Billboard charts, debuting at number one. Also, in terms of total units earned, it had the biggest week for a soundtrack in a year-and-a-half at that time. It was the fifth album from Lamar’s Top Dawg Entertainment to debut at number one, but it also helped Lamar earn an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Only three of the songs heard in the album actually made it into the film, one of those being Lamar and The Weekend’s “Pray For Me,” which plays when T’Challa, Okoye, and Nakia enter a casino to try and capture Klaue. The song also has a music video featuring an animated version of Black Panther and snippets of the film. Now, two years on from the film and album’s release, that very song has seemingly landed Lamar and The Weeknd in trouble.

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The Wrap reports that The Weeknd and Lamar are being sued by experimental rock band Yeasayer over their song “Pray for Me,” one of the fourteen tracks in the Black Panther album. The group has claimed that the song sampled their 2007 song “Sunrise” without permission. According to the group, their song had "a distinctive choral performance … comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato, and developed via distinctive audio post-processing." Plus, the group claims the song's artists and producers knowingly “extracted” their vocals and tried changing them for “Pray for Me,” but they claimed even with changes, they’re “immediately recognizable.” Yeasayer claims their vocals are used eight times in the song, and the group is seeking unspecified damages along with an injunction to stop sales and licensing of the song.

If one listened to both “Pray for Me” and “Sunrise” one after the other, there are certainly similarities between the two songs, especially in regards to the melody and the beats of the two songs. However, one might argue whether “Pray for Me” did directly rip-off “Sunrise.” It certainly would be disappointing to know that one of the standout tracks from Black Panther: The Album is taking advantage of the work of a smaller musical group.

The timing of this lawsuit is also peculiar, as it comes two years after the roaring success of the film and album. However, time will likely tell audiences the validity of this claim. Black Panther 2 is currently being developed by returning writer/director Coogler, and the sequel will reportedly begin filming in 2021. Whether this news regarding the music of the original Black Panther has any impact on how the team approaches things for the sequel remains to be seen, but perhaps they will proceed with a little more caution next time around.

Next: Black Panther: 5 Moments That Prove He Should Lead The Avengers (& 5 Moments That Show He Shouldn't)

Source: The Wrap

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