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Nicki Minaj & Tracy Chapman Set to Battle In Court In May 2020

Posted on October 22nd, 2019
by
Staff Editor


Nicki Minaj and Tracy Chapman are set to appear in court next year due to legal issues between the two stars regarding Chapman’s song “Baby Can I Hold You.” The two are at odds after Nicki attempted to get permission to sample the track and include it on her “Queen” album. Chapman denied the request just weeks prior to the release of “Queen.” 

Image via Billboard

The record, which was called “I’m Sorry” and featured Nas, was later leaked to DJ Funkmaster Flex, who premiered the unreleased track on Twitter. Tracy went on to file a lawsuit against Nicki in October as she believes the rapper should be held responsible for the leak. In Nicki’s defense, her lawyers claim the sample aligns with the fair use category of copyright law. 

Image via The Source

As the pair were unable to settle, Tracy told the judge she needed more time to make her case as Nicki was stalling according to All Hip Hop. Nicki’s split with former manager Gee Roberson back in April is one of the reasons Nicki’s legal team cited as a reason for the delay. Tracy’s legal team thinks otherwise as her lawyers believe Nicki is holding text messages that were allegedly sent to Funkmaster Flex in addition to other important documents.

Image via Billboard

Although Judge Virginia Phillips denied Tracy’s motion to delay the case to June 2020, the pre-trial conference is set for May 18, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. The trial is set to commence on May 26, 2020.

Feature Image via XXL Mag

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