Minnesota-bred rapper Yung Gravy was hit with a lawsuit by “Never Gonna Give You Up” UK singer Rick Astley on Jan. 26. Astley claimed a “soundalike” was hired to sing lyrics to his well-known song.
Why is Gravy Being Sued?
The University of Wisconsin-Madison alumn was believed to have sampled “Never Gonna Give You Up,” the well-known song by British singer Rick Astley on his single “Betty,” and new information supports the claims.
Astley filed a complaint at the Los Angeles Superior Court on Jan. 26, claiming that a producer named Popnick was the vocalist singing on Astley’s hit. In fact, his complaint also states Gravy claiming Astley “digs the song” during a Billboard interview was false. Astley seeks millions of dollars in damages and profits from “Betty.”
Who is Yung Gravy?
Yung Gravy is a Minnesota-based recording artist who first burst onto the hip-hop scene with tracks “Mr. Clean” and “Karen.” He began making waves on SoundCloud’s music-uploading site in 2016. After uploading the official music for “Mr. Clean” to his YouTube channel, he raked up over 68 million views and 1.1 million likes.
In addition, the single has since been certified platinum by the RIAA. The Minnesota native would release his debut album “Sensational” in May 2019. The 13-track album features Juicy J, one of his heroes, on “Buttered Up” and ranked #30 on Billboard’s Top Rap and Hip-Hop Albums.
After the release of “Sensational,” he would follow up his commercial success with two more albums: Gasanova in 2020 and Marvelous in 2022 which feature “Betty(Get Money).”
Kanye Sued Over “Life of the Party” Sample
Gravy isn’t the only rapper who’s been hit with a lawsuit. Ye, known as Kanye West, was sued by Phase One Network Inc, a record company based in New York City.
The company stated that “Life of the Party,” a song featuring Andre 3000 from one of his latest albums, Donda, contains “an exact reproduction” of a musical arrangement similar to “South Bronx,” a song by one of their artists named Boogie Down.