Drake is facing a new possible lawsuit, after a Ghanian musician Obrafour has claimed that “Calling My Name” samples his song without permission. As Rolling Stone points out the lawsuit claims Drake’s Honestly, Nevermind album uses “elements” of Obrafour’s 2003 song “Oye Ohene (Remix).”
The filing claims that while Drake’s team sent two clearance emails to Obrafour to approve the sample the week before the surprise album dropped, he “had not yet responded” with his permission.
“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 lawsuit states. “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.”
Because of this, Obrafour is seeking at least $10 million, given “all profits and damages in the following categories attributable to the infringement” for “Calling My Name.”
“To date, over the mere 304 days that have elapsed since the Infringing Work was released, the Infringing Work has already been streamed over 4.1 million times on YouTube, streamed over 47,442,160 times on Spotify, and streamed tens of millions of times on Apple Music,” the suit adds.
Drake’s team did not return the publication’s request for comment.