Famous English singer Rick Astley has filed a lawsuit against American rapper Yung Gravy, alleging that he plagiarized his famous 1980s song. Never Gonna Give You Up.
Astley argues in his lawsuit that the song Betty (Get Money), released in the summer of 2022, was based on the voice he put at the center of his famous song by violating the personality principle.
According to him, Betty (Get Money), which rose to No. 30 on the 100 Greatest Songs of 2022, “emulates the exact distinctive vocals Astley used to score her 1987 hit.”
“In an effort to capitalize on the immense popularity and goodwill of Mr. Astley, the defendants […] have conspired to add an intentional and almost indistinct imitation of Mr. Astley’s voice to the song,” the singer’s lawyers told the media.
“The audience couldn’t tell the difference. His impersonation is so successful that people actually thought it was Mr. Astley singing.”
The complaint was presented to a Los Angeles court on January 26.
For his part, Yung Gravy explained that he discussed the song with Rick Astley before it was released. This statement of facts is disputed by the client concerned.