Why is Tracy Chapman suing Nicki Minaj, what is the rapper’s track Sorry and is it similar to Baby Can I Hold You?
The suit relates to the song Sorry which Chapman alleges incorporates the lyrics and vocal melody from her 1988 song Baby Can I Hold You without permission
NICKI Minaj is being sued by 80s and 90s icon Tracy Chapman over her song Sorry.
But what do we know about the suit? And how similar is it to Tracy’s Baby Can I Hold You Tonight.
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Nicki Minaj is being sued by singer Tracy ChapmanCredit: AP:Associated Press
Why is Tracy Chapman suing Nicki Minaj?
On October 23, 2018, it was revealed that Nicki Minaj is being sued by folk singer Tracy Chapman for copyright infringement.
The suit relates to the song Sorry, which Chapman alleges incorporates the lyrics and vocal melody from her 1988 song Baby Can I Hold You without permission.
In the suit Chapman claims Minaj and her representatives began reaching out in June 2018 about using the song, but Chapman denied their request, which was made after Minaj had recorded the song for her album Queen.
Sorry was not included on Queen when it was released in August 2018.
According to Chapman’s suit, Minaj, however, provided a copy of the song to a New York DJ at HOT 97.
Chapman claims the DJ subsequently promoted the song’s release on his social media channels and played it on air.
Minaj has not responded to the suit.
But the suit does make mention of a now-deleted tweet from Minaj in which, prior to her album’s release, she acknowledged she was struggling with whether or not to keep the song on her album, as doing so would have delayed Queen’s release.
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Singer Tracy has filed the suit over her song Baby Can I Hold You tonightCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Are the two tracks similar?
The lyrics to Tracy Chapman’s song Baby Can I Hold You Tonight:
Sorry
Is all that you can’t say
Years gone by and still
Words don’t come easily
Like sorry like sorry
Forgive me
Is all that you can’t say
Years gone by and still
Words don’t come easily
Like forgive me forgive me
But you can say baby
Baby can I hold you tonight?Maybe if I told you the right words
At the right time you’d be mine
Lyrics to Nicki Minaj’s Sorry:
ey baby
Even though you break my heart
I still love
Sorry
Is all that you can say
Years gone by and still
Words don’t come easily
Like forgive me (forgive me)
And you can say, baby (baby)
My baby, can I hold you tonight?
And maybe if I told you the right words
Ooh, at the right time
You be Nas
When did Nicki Minaj release Sorry?
Sorry featuring American rapper Nas was released on August 11, 2018.
It was though excluded from the album due to Tracy’s refusal to clear the song’s sample of Baby Can I Hold You.
The song has also been covered by Boyzone in 1998 and by Tom Chaplin in 2016.
