Tracy Chapman vs. Nicki Minaj: Unpacking the 2018 Lawsuit Details

In 2018, Nicki Minaj released a song titled “Sorry”for her fourth studio album, Queen. This track samples Tracy Chapman’s 1988 classic “Baby Can I Hold You.”In October of that year, Chapman responded by filing a lawsuit against Minaj for the use of her song.

The lawsuit from the 60-year-old singer accused Nicki Minaj of distributing “Sorry”to a New York radio station without obtaining permission to sample her track.

This practice is not uncommon in the music industry; many artists draw inspiration from existing songs to create new hits. A prime example of this is Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings,”which samples the 1965 song “My Favorite Things.”

Due to the lawsuit, the Pink Friday rapper was forced to remove “Sorry”from the album’s tracklist.

Chapman’s lawsuit claimed that Nicki Minaj leaked “Sorry”without permission

According to a report by the BBC, Tracy Chapman claimed that Nicki Minaj made several attempts to secure permission to sample her song after “Sorry”had already been recorded, but these requests were denied by Chapman’s representatives.

Subsequently, Minaj sent the track to Funkmaster Flex, who aired it on his radio show. The lawsuit documents stated:

“This action is necessary to redress Maraj’s disregard and wilful infringement of Chapman’s rights under the Copyright Act, and to ensure that her misconduct is not repeated.”

It continued:

“Maraj wrongfully deprived Chapman of the right and opportunity to decide whether to allow the use of the composition, and, if so, on what terms.”

Once “Sorry”was broadcasted on Funkmaster Flex’s show, it quickly spread across multiple websites, including YouTube.

Minaj settled the lawsuit by offering a $450,000 settlement

In September 2020, a partial judgment regarding Tracy Chapman’s copyright infringement lawsuit against Nicki Minaj was ruled in favor of Minaj.

The judge remarked:

“Artists usually experiment with works before seeking licenses from rights holders and rights holders typically ask to see a proposed work before approving a license. A ruling uprooting these common practices would limit creativity and stifle innovation within the music industry.”

The judge further noted that there was “no evidence”suggesting that Minaj’s “Sorry”affected “any potential market for Chapman”or her ballad.

This ruling was influenced by Minaj’s attorney’s argument that artists should have the freedom to create new work inspired by existing material without the fear of litigation.

This notion of “free-flowing creativity”is vital for all recording artists, especially in genres like hip-hop.

They elaborated:

“With that category of music, a recording artist typically goes into the studio and experiments with dozens of different ‘beats’ or snippets of melodies, before hitting upon a pleasing combination.”

Both Nicki Minaj and DJ Flex refuted Chapman’s claims regarding “Sorry.”

Ultimately, another trial was scheduled for January 2021 to investigate how the track was leaked and distributed. To avoid this trial, Nicki Minaj offered Tracy Chapman a settlement of $450,000, which also covered her legal costs, and Chapman accepted. Consequently, the trial was suspended, and the lawsuit was resolved out of court.

Tracy Chapman, a four-time Grammy winner, released her eighth studio album, Our Bright Future, in 2008, and has yet to unveil a ninth album. Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj, who dropped her fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, in December of last year, has recently announced the production of her sixth album, titled Pink Friday 3. The release date for this upcoming project will be announced soon.

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