Beyonce is in a hot legal mess. The chart topper is being sued for more than $20 million dollars for allegedly sampling her ‘Formation’ lyrics. Bey is being accused of unlawfully sampling Messy Mya, a YouTube rapper who was murdered back in 2010. Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z and Sony Music are also named in the lawsuit.
Anthony’s family says that Beyonce used his voice from a 2010 video called ‘A 27 Piece Huh?’ The rapper was shot dead shortly after the video was released. His family also claims that Bey also lifted portions from his song, “Booking the Hoes From New Wildings.”
In Beyonce’s ‘Formation,’ Anthony Barre can be heard saying, “Oh, yeah, baby. Oh yeah — oh yes, I like that.” What’s more, the lyrics, “What happened at the New Orleans / B*** I’m back, by popular demand,” can also be heard in the beginning of ‘Formation.’
In addition, reports say that Anthony Barre’s family tried to reach out to Beyonce’s team to discuss the matter. Bey’s handlers never got back to them. Anthony Barre’s estate is now seeing royalties from ‘Formation’ as well as damages for using the rapper’s words without consent.
This isn’t the first time Beyonce and Jay-Z have been caught in a legal mess. Back in 2015, Jay Z won his copyright lawsuit over his ‘Big Pimpin’ sample. Osama Ahmed Fahmy sued Jay-Z for allegedly sampling a decades-old Egyptian song that was composed by his uncle, Baligh Hamdi. Fahmy lost the case after a judge made it clear that he signed away his economic rights to the song to EMI. The company controlled licensing for Baligh Hamdi’s song outside of Egypt.
If that weren’t enough, filmmaker Matthew Fulks alleged that portions of Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ were lifted from his film, ‘Palinoia.’ He filed a lawsuit against Beyonce, Sony, Columbia and Parkwood Entertainment. A judge in the case dismissed the lawsuit after Beyonce’s lawyers argued that the narratives from Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade,’ and Matthew Fulks’ ‘Palinoia” are completely different. The judge threw out the case last September.
Beyonce herself has not made any comments about Anthony Barre’s lawsuit. The singer is currently expecting twins with Jay-Z. She’s also expected to perform at the Grammys this month and Coachella in April. Let us know what you think by leaving us a line with your comments below. Also, check back with CDL for all the latest news and updates on Beyonce right here.
Image credits to Instagram and FameFlynet