Ghanaian hip-life artist, Obrafour, has filed a lawsuit against Canadian rapper Drake for alleged copyright infringement. The dispute arises from Drake’s use of a sample from Obrafour’s song “Oye Ohene (Remix)” in his track “Calling My Name”. Obrafour claims that Drake and his team had previously approached him for permission to use the sample but were denied. Despite this, Drake released the song, causing damage to Obrafour’s reputation and financial loss due to potential royalties.
According to Robert Freund, a lawyer for brands, agencies, and creators who shared court documents on social media, Obrafour is seeking “at least $10 million in damages”. The case was filed by Obrafour’s lawyers in the Southern District of New York, asking the court to enter into judgment that “the Defendant willfully infringed Obrafour’s Copyrighted Work in violation of the Copyright Act” and other reliefs.
Drake is not the first Hollywood artist to face such lawsuits. Kanye West, Robin Thicke, and Pharrell Williams have all faced similar lawsuits for unauthorized use of samples. Many of these cases have resulted in substantial payouts to the original artists or their estates, emphasizing the importance of obtaining clearance for any samples used in music.
The outcome of the lawsuit between Obrafour and Drake will likely have implications for both artists and the wider music industry on how to obtain proper clearance before using copyrighted material.