Why is Rick Astley suing rapper Yung Gravy?
He’s never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down – but he is potentially gonna sue you if you (allegedly) impersonate his distinctive baritone.
Rick Astley has filed a lawsuit against the rapper Yung Gravy over the song Betty (Get Money), which was released in 2022.
Here is a look at what’s happened so far.
Why is Rick Astley suing Yung Gravy?
Yung Gravy’s song Betty (Get Money) borrows heavily from the melody for Astley’s 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up. This bit, however, was reportedly authorised, according to Rolling Stone.
The song also features the singer Popnick, who does such a brilliant job imitating Astley’s voice that to the untrained ear, it sounds indistinguishable from the real deal.
Astley is claiming the use of the impersonator is illegal.
What does the lawsuit say?
Astley filed the lawsuit on Thursday 26 January at Los Angeles Superior Court.
His complaint says the song violates his right of publicity – or the right to control the commercial exploitation of a person’s identity and prevent its unauthorised commercial appropriation by others – by featuring Popnick’s impersonation.
“In an effort to capitalise off the immense popularity and goodwill of Mr Astley, defendants… conspired to include a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation of Mr Astley’s voice,” the lawsuit says. “The public could not tell the difference.”
Astley’s lawsuit seeks “millions of dollars” in damages, as well as profits from the song.
According to the singer’s team, “a licence to use the original underlying musical composition does not authorise the stealing of the artist’s voice in the original recording”.
Yung Gravy and Popnick are among the defendants, along with Yung Gravy’s record label, Universal Music Group’s Republic Records.
The complaint states that Astley’s claim resembles a 1988 case in which Bette Midler successfully sued Ford Motor Co for using a soundalike to sell vehicles, even though Ford had licensed her song Do You Want To Dance for an advert.
Who is Yung Gravy?
Yung Gravy’s real name is Matthew Hauri Pic: AP/Katy Rogers/MediaPunch/IPX
Real name Matthew Hauri, Yung Gravy is a 26-year-old rapper who was born in Rochester, Minnesota. He rose to prominence following the release of his 2016 debut single, Mr Clean, which went on to be certified platinum.
Betty (Get Money) is his most successful track to date, reaching number 30 on the US Billboard chart and going viral on TikTok.
In an interview with Billboard following the song’s release, he spoke about the Astley sample, saying: “I always thought that sample would be sick to do something with. I just never figured it was clearable.”
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“Somebody who had part-ownership of the rights to the sample hit me up like, ‘We f*** with you, you should try it out’… we basically remade the whole song. Had a different singer and instruments, but it was all really close because it makes it easier legally.
“We said, ‘Let’s try to clear it and see what happens’. At first, two of the three writers that had to approve it, approved it, and one guy wanted us to make it a little bit cleaner.”
Sky News has contacted representatives for the rapper, and for his label, for comment on the lawsuit.
Who is Rick Astley?
Rick Astley’s song Never Gonna Give You Up has surpassed a billion YouTube views Pic: Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
Astley, 56, is an English singer-songwriter who rose to fame through the Stock Aitken Waterman label – also home to Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan – in the 1980s. Never Gonna Give You Up was his biggest hit, topping charts around the world.
About 20 years later, the song saw a resurgence thanks to the Rickroll internet meme, in which the track unexpectedly interrupts unrelated content.
In 2021, the song passed a billion views on YouTube.
Other famous music lawsuits
A lawsuit against Taylor Swift was dismissed in 2022 Pic: AP
Astley’s lawyer Richard Busch is known for representing Marvin Gaye’s family against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over their alleged copying of the song Got To Give It Up for their 2013 hit Blurred Lines.
There have been numerous other disputes over music rights in recent years.
In December 2022, a US lawsuit alleging that Taylor Swift stole lyrics for her hit song Shake It Off was dismissed by a judge ahead of a planned trial.
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Earlier in 2022, a case claiming that Ed Sheeran had copied a hook for his 2017 hit Shape Of You was also dismissed in the UK.
A case against Katy Perry was another long-running dispute in the US that came to an end in 2022, when a federal appeals court decided that the US pop star and her team were not liable to pay out $2.8m to a rapper who accused her of plagiarising part of one of his songs for her 2013 hit, Dark Horse.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
Read more from Sky News:
Ten Reform councillors quit in protest
Liz Truss sends cease and desist letter to Starmer
As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
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