Brooklyn-based experimental rock band, Yeasayer, has come forward with a lawsuit against Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd – as well as Top Dawg Entertainment – for their collaboration on The Black Panther soundtrack, entitled “Pray For Me”. The song allegedly samples Yeasayer’s “Sunrise”, which appears on the band’s 2007 debut album. 

According to TMZ, the legal documents state that “Pray For Me” modified the material lifted from “Sunrise” with “intent to conceal the infringement.” The portion in question is described in the lawsuit as a “distinctive choral performance… comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato.” It apparently appears in the Black Panther track up to eight different times. The band claims that the sample is “immediately recognizable,” and if you listen to the two songs below, it seems hard to dispute that. While the echoing high-pitched howl could have initially been thought to stem from The Weeknd, the one that appears in “Sunrise” sounds super similar. However, that’s for the court to decide. Pray for Kendrick and The Weeknd. 

The delay in the filing of the lawsuit could be possibly explained by the fact that Yeasayer broke up at the end of 2019. The legal docs don’t specify how much the band is seeking in compensation. TMZ reached out to Kendrick and The Weeknd’s teams for comment but received no response. 

Yeasayer, LLC et al v. Tesf… by Pitchfork News on Scribd

It was previously reported that the victim who was allegedly assaulted and robbed by DaBaby at the beginning of January planned to pursue legal action against the rapper. The lawsuit has now been filed and TMZ has gotten hold of the documents detailing the compensation that the victim is seeking for his beating. The victim, an event promoter named Kenneth Carey, is suing DaBaby, his crew and his entertainment company for “well above $6 million” for battery, breach of contract, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. 

According to Carey’s side of the story, the altercation occurred because DaBaby’s request to be paid more for a party appearance was turned down. DaBaby and Carey supposedly agreed on a fee of $20,000 for the former to host Stunna 4 Vegas’ birthday celebration at a nightclub – a fee that was lower than usual since Stunna is DaBaby’s friend and label signee. 

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The lawsuit states that Carey rented cars for the “Suge” artist and his team when they got to Miami. After one of the cars was returned damaged, DaBaby was billed for it. He asked Carey to be paid another $10,000 to cover this cost, but the promoter refused. This disagreement apparently fuelled DaBaby’s frustration and resulted in him and his team beating, robbing, pantsing and pouring apple juice on Carey. 

Following this incident, DaBaby was arrested and charged for battery. He proclaimed that he will emerge unscathed from this lawsuit after being released from jail. “Don’t allow yourself to be [misled] by janky promoters and lazy ass grown men itching for the opportunity to file a lawsuit that they won’t win,” DaBaby wrote on Instagram after he was released from jail. “I remain composed and focused knowing allegations made without honesty and integrity will never be honored by the most high.”