Obrafour sues Drake over unauthorized song sampling, demands $10 million damages

Famed Canadian rapper Aubrey "Drake" Graham is being sued for copyright infringement by Ghanaian rapper Michael Eliot Kwabena Okyere Darko, known professionally as Obrafour.

Obrafour claims that Drake sampled his song "Oye Ohene (Remix)" without his permission in Drake's new song "Calling My Name."

According to court documents obtained by Modernghana News, Drake’s legal team reached out to Obrafour's reps on June 8th seeking clearance to use the sample.

They followed up on June 13 which again turned out unsuccessful.

Just four days later, the suit says Drake surprisingly released his seventh studio album "Honestly, Nevermind" which included the allegedly infringing track "Calling My Name."

Obrafour is suing Drake, his label OVO Sound, Republic Records, and Universal Music Group for at least $10 million in damages.

The lawsuit states that "On June 13, 2022, Obrafour had not yet responded to the June 8, 2022 Clearance Email, and Mannis-Gardner sent Obrafour a follow-up email simply stating. 'Hi confirming you received this email thanks [sic]'...In doing so, Drake, OVO, Republic, and Universal released 'Honestly, Nevermind' pursuant to an increasingly prevalent surprise' model for high-profile commercial album releases, whereby an album is suddenly released by 'surprise-i.e., either with little or no notice or promotion to the consuming public."

Drake is no stranger to copyright suits, having been sued multiple times in the past for alleged infringements.