Ghanaian Rapper Sues Drake For $10m Over Copyright Infringement

Obrafour, a Ghanaian rap artiste, is suing Drake.

He has taken Drake, the multiple award-winning Canadian singer,  to court over alleged copyright infringement. According to the Ghanaian rapper, in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in the US district court for the southern district of New York, Drake sampled the remix of his 2003 song ‘Oye Ohene’ in ‘Calling My Name,’ without his consent.

Based on the details of the suit, Drake had emailed Obrafour, seeking permission to sample the song but received no response.

The suit added that Drake went ahead to use the sample in the song which was included in his latest album ‘Honestly, Nevermind’.

“Obrafour had not yet responded to the June 8, 2022 Clearance Email or the follow-up June 13, 2022 Clearance Email at the point when Drake’s “Honestly, Nevermind” album was released on June 17, 2022. Nonetheless, Infringing Work is one of the songs appearing on the “Honestly, Nevermind” album, as released to the world by ‘surprise’ on June 17, 2022.

“Obrafour sues for copyright infringement under the Copyright Act, and seeks all remedies afforded to him thereunder, including preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, monetary damages, including but not limited to, actual damages, profits directly and indirectly attributable to from Defendants’ infringing conduct, statutory damages under the Copyright Act in the sum of up to $150,000.00 per infringement where such infringement commenced after the Copyrighted Work was registered with the United States Copyright Office, and other economic relief,” part of the suit read.

See the post below:

Today, @iamobrafour sued @Drake for copyright infringement for sampling “Oye Ohene (Remix)” in the track “Calling My Name.”

Obrafour says Drake’ previously sought permission to use the work, didn’t get it, and released the track days later anyway. pic.twitter.com/JUptMETC76

— Rob Freund (@RobertFreundLaw) April 19, 2023