Photo by Trisha Leeper/WireImage
Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman is suing Nicki Minaj for copyright infringement, according to reports from TMZ and Pitchfork. The Ohio artist is seeking damages over Nicki’s interpolation of “Baby Can I Hold You” on the unreleased Nas collaboration “Sorry.”
According to the reports, Chapman is seeking damages as well as a court order to prevent Nicki from ever officially releasing “Sorry.” Although the song isn’t available on streaming services or for purchase, it did leak online after Funkmaster Flex played it on his Hot 97 radio show.
Back in August, Nicki publicly asked Chapman to clear a sample for the rapper’s fourth album Queen, and even briefly delayed the project by one week in hopes of getting permission to include “Sorry” on her album. She later tweeted (and deleted) “sis said no,” and ended up releasing Queen on its original date without “Sorry” on the tracklist.
On “Sorry,” Nicki interpolates the first verse and chorus of Chapman’s track:
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
“Baby Can I Hold You” appears as the fifth song on Chapman’s self-titled 1988 debut album The song peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and subsequent covers by Neil Diamond and Boyzone also gained significant popularity.
Read TMZ’s full report here and catch up on all the lyrics to Tracy Chapman’s “Baby Can I Hold You.”
