Nicki Minaj To Pay $450,000 To Tracy Chapman For Copyright Dispute

Rapper Nicki Minaj offered to pay $450,000 to Tracy Chapman over a copyright dispute. This happened after Minaj was set on trial dor leaking an unreleased song named Sorry on the radio which had a sample of singer Tracy Chapman’s 1988 song Baby Can I Hold You. 

The dispute was settled outside court between the representatives of Nicki Minaj and Tracy Chapman. The case dates back to 2018 when Nicki Minaj asked Tracy Chapman if she could use a sample of his song in Sorry and Tracy Chapman had denied. 

The song Sorry then never officially released but it was leaked on a New York City radio station named Hot 97. Chapman then filed a lawsuit against Nicki Minaj for wrongfully using his song sample and then intentionally leaking it. 

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At the time, the court had spoken in support of Minaj as the judge giving the ruling had said that putting a stop to such practices can “limit creativity and stifle innovation within the music industry". Although the allegations of leaking the song were not brushed off as the judge has scheduled a trial for the matter. However, the two artists later settled the case outside court when Minaj offered to pay settlement money to Tracy Chapman and accepted it. 

Talking about the arrangement, Tracy Chapman gave a statement in which he said that he glad that the matter is resolved and that he is grateful for the legal outcome “which affirms that artists’ rights are protected by the law and should be respected by other artists. “

He also said that he was asked for his sample many times and he repeatedly denied but Nicki Minaj “chose to not hear” and used his composition despite his disapproval. 

Nicki Minaj is yet to make a comment on the matter. 

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