A court has ordered Nicki Minaj to pay Tracy Chapman $450,000 for unauthorized sampling of "Baby Can I Hold You" in her song "Sorry" featuring Nas.

Chapman filed the copyright infringement lawsuit in October 2018 after Minaj used her 1988 track without permission. Despite Minaj's multiple requests to sample the work, Chapman explicitly denied authorization. As a result, Minaj removed "Sorry" from her album Queen.

The song leaked after playing once on Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 broadcast, with fans recording and sharing unauthorized versions online. While a judge initially suggested "Sorry" could be protected under fair use since Minaj was "experimenting" with the track, both parties agreed to settle before trial.

Chapman addressed the settlement stating: "I was asked numerous times for permission to use my song; in each instance, politely and in a timely manner, I unequivocally said no. Apparently, Ms. Minaj chose not to hear and used my composition despite my clear and express intentions."

This settlement resolves one of multiple infringement claims against Minaj's Queen album. She currently faces another $240 million lawsuit from rapper Brinx Billions over alleged theft of "Rich Sex" and unpaid royalties for "I Endorse These Strippers."

The case highlights ongoing challenges in music sampling and copyright law. Recently, Drake won a similar case when courts ruled his unauthorized use of "Jimmy Smith Rap" in "Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2" qualified as fair use.

Related Articles

Previous Articles