Tracy Chapman and Nicki Minaj settled their two-year-long copyright infringement lawsuit for $450,000, according to court documents.
Chapman sued the rapper and singer Minaj, whose real name is Onika Maraj, in October 2018 for sampling her 1988 song “Baby Can I Hold You.” Maraj used the lyrics and vocal melody in an unreleased track called “Sorry.”
According to the complaint, Maraj’s team contacted Chapman multiple times for permission to sample the song and the Grammy-winning singer refused.
Court documents state that Maraj wanted to include “Sorry” on her 2018 album “Queen” but didn’t because they did not have approval. However, Chapman alleged that Maraj leaked the song to Funkmaster Flex, a New York City DJ, who played “Sorry” on the radio and posted it on social media.
The case dragged on in court for two years until the “Super Bass” rapper offered Chapman a $450,000 judgment offer. Court documents made public on Thursday showed that Chapman accepted the offer and as a result, the case will not head to trial.
Chapman said Friday that she was happy to put the case behind her.
NBC
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