Tracy Chapman Wins $450K After Suing Nicki Minaj In Copyright Infringement Case
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) -- Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman on Thursday won a case against rapper Nicki Minaj in a copyright dispute, according to court documents obtained on Friday.
Chapman claimed that Minaj, born Onika Maraj, used a sample of her song without permission.
The copyright infringement trial was set to take place in Los Angeles, but has since been settled instead with an agreement for Minaj to pay $450,000 to Chapman for Minaj's use of the melody and lyrics from Capman's 1988 single "Baby Can I Hold You" in Minaj's song "Sorry."
The initial dispute traces back to three years ago in federal court.
Chapman, who is best known for her hits "Fast Car'' and "Give Me One Reason,'' said in court papers that she turned down several requests to sample or re-record her music for use on Minaj's album, "Queen."
After Minaj's formal request to use Chapman's material, "Sorry" ended up not being included on the album, but was leaked online and on the radio anyway.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)