Summary
- Nicki Minaj lost $450,000 in a lawsuit filed by Tracy Chapman due to unauthorized use of her song sample.
- Tracy Chapman had repeatedly denied permission for Minaj to use her song.
- Luke Combs covered Chapman's song "Fast Car" without permission.
Throughout pop culture history, there have been many celebrities who've been sued for ridiculous reasons. One perfect example of that is the fact that Keanu Reeves was sued for millions in unpaid child support from a woman he didn't have kids with.
On the other hand, when Nicki Minaj was sued by Tracy Chapman, that lawsuit was completely valid. After all, Minaj made a basic music mistake, and she wound up losing a fortune to Chapman because of that.
Nicki Minaj Had To Pay Tracy Chapman $450,000 Following A Lawsuit
In 2018, Nicki Minaj released her fourth studio album "Queen", which became a major hit for the popular artist. In fact, "Queen" was certified platinum less than two months after it was first released, which was an impressive feat. However, the original plans for the album turned out to be costly as Minaj had to pay $450,000 for a song she didn't even include.
While Minaj's album enjoyed a great deal of success, a lot of the discussion at that time revolved around a song that was missing. The reason for that is that "Queen" notably didn't include a song that was originally meant to appear on the album.
A tune that featured a collaboration with the rap legend Nas, Minaj's song "Sorry" was fully produced and ready to go. The problem with the song, however, was that "Sorry" featured a sample that Minaj's team didn't get permission to use.
What are Tracy Chapman's biggest hits, according to Billboard?
| Song Title: | Top Spot Reached On The Chart: |
| "Give Me One Reason" | #3 |
| "Fast Car" | #6 |
| "Baby Can I Hold You" | #48 |
When "Sorry" was produced, the song featured a sample from Tracy Chapman's song "Baby Can I Hold You". Not only did the song feature a sample of Chapman's song, but, it also included her lyrics as well.
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In 2021, NBC News published an article focused on Minaj and Chapman's legal battle. That article revealed some fascinating details about what led to the two artists' legal battle.
As would later be revealed, Minaj's team repeatedly asked Chapman for permission to use the sample. According to a statement released by Chapman that was quoted by NBC News, she quickly rejected those requests every time.
"I was asked in this situation numerous times for permission to use my song; in each instance, politely and in a timely manner, I unequivocally said no. Apparently, Ms. Minaj chose not to hear and used my composition despite my clear and express intentions."
According to an NPR article about the legal battle, there was another reason Minaj's team should have known not to use Chapman's work. Chapman was so unwilling to have her work used by other artists that she was on an unofficial "do not sample or interpolate" list.
NPR's article also revealed another fascinating piece of information about Chapman's lawsuit against Minaj. In legal filings, Chapman's team expressed the opinion that Minaj had already recorded "Sorry" before anyone asked permission to use the sample.
What is unquestionable is that even after she didn't get permission, Minaj still wanted to release "Sorry". After all, Minaj asked her fans if she should push back her album's release date to have more time to try and get permission in a since-deleted tweet."
Why Tracy Chapman Vanished From The Music Industry Long Before Luke Combs' "Fast Car" Cover?
Tracy Chapman's iconic voice and songwriting skills have made her legendary which makes fans sad that she has disappeared from the music scene.
"So there’s a record on #Queen that features 1of the greatest rappers of all time. Had no clue it sampled the legend #TracyChapman – do I keep my date & lose the record? Or do I lose the record & keep my date? ♀️ do we push #Queen back 1week? Ugh! I’m torn, y’all help Tracy Chapman, can you please hit me. ♀️ omg for the love of #Queen"
Ultimately, Minaj released "Queen" without the song "Sorry". In theory, that should have protected her from legal action. However, the song was leaked to Funkmaster Flex who played it on the radio one time in New York. The song also wound up leaking online.
As NBC News article revealed, Chapman alleged in her lawsuit that Minaj personally leaked the song.
While that allegation was never proven, the fact remained that "Sorry" leaked to the public. That allowed Chapman to sue Minaj and seek damages from the younger artist.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, paying Tracy Chapman $450,000 likely wouldn't have been devastating for Nicki Minaj. According to that website, Minaj has a $150 million fortune as of this writing. For her part, Chapman has a $6 million fortune as of this writing, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
After Chapman filed her lawsuit against Minaj, the matter dragged out in court for two years. Then Minaj offered Chapman $450,000 to settle the matter which was accepted. After taking that offer, Chapman released a statement about the matter coming to a close.
"I am glad to have this matter resolved and grateful for this legal outcome which affirms that artists’ rights are protected by law and should be respected by other artists."
Luke Combs Didn't Need Permission To Cover Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car"
After Nicki Minaj paid Tracy Chapman close to half a million dollars, that fact should have been a warning for other artists. As a result, it would be shocking if another artist decided to sample Chapman's music without permission.
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With that in mind, it may shock a lot of observers that Luke Combs covered Chapman's song "Fast Car" without permission from her. According to an article published by Taste of Country, Luke Combs explained the reason why he was able to cover "Fast Car" without any issues.
"Recently, Combs said that he hadn't yet heard from Chapman about his take on 'Fast Car,' explaining that his cover didn't require permission from the songwriter since he adhered to very strict, specific licenses about what he could and couldn't do with the song."
While Chapman didn't permit Combs to cover her song ahead of time, she eventually embraced the situation. In 2023, Chapman gave Billboard a statement about what it meant to her to have her song top the country charts at that time.
Around the same time Chapman released her statement, Billboard wrote about how much money Combs version of "Fast Car" would have netted her. "Combs’ version has generated at least $500,000 in global publishing royalties, Billboard estimates, with the bulk going to Chapman, who owns both the writer’s and publisher’s share of the song. Additionally, the success of Combs’ version has boosted Chapman’s original, with weekly consumption of Chapman’s version increasing 44% since Combs’ version was released, according to Luminate."
“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there. I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”
