Brooklyn rock band Yeasayer are suing Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, accusing the musicians of swiping the music for their “Black Panther” soundtrack collaboration “Pray for Me” from the band’s 2007 track “Sunrise.” According to court documents filed in a new federal lawsuit, Lamar and the Weeknd, as well as their creative team, allegedly lifted a “distinctive choral performance” from Yeasayer’s song “Sunrise,” tweaked it and then made it a “material and substantial portion” of their hit 2018 single “Pray for Me.”
The lawsuit claims Lamar and The Weeknd (real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) modified the recording with “intent to conceal the infringement” and used it at least eight times in “Pray for Me,” the suit claims. The allegedly stolen snippet is described as “comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato.”
The rock trio — which broke up in December — are asking for an undisclosed amount in damages and profits from “Pray for Me.” They also want an injunction to stop all sales and licensing of the song over the alleged copyright infringement.
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