Pet Shop Boys accuse Drake of unauthorized use of ‘West End Girls’ chorus in ‘All the Parties track from his latest album
Drake has come under scrutiny for singing the chorus of “West End Girls” in his track “All the Parties” from his new album, without obtaining the necessary permissions or giving credit. The Pet Shop Boys, the original artists of “West End Girls”, expressed their surprise on social media regarding this unauthorized use, highlighting that no credit was given nor permission requested for the utilization of their chorus in Drake’s song.
In “All the Parties,” which is part of Drake’s eighth studio album “For All The Dogs” released on October 6, the Canadian rapper interpolates the chorus of “West End Girls” at around two and a half minutes into the track, specifically during his collaboration with Chief Keef.
Below is the initial tweet from the Pet Shop Boys.
Surprising to hear @Drake singing the chorus of “West End girls” in the track “All the Parties” on his new album. No credit given or permission requested.#PetText #kobaltmusic #WestEndgirls #Drake #PetShopBoys pic.twitter.com/P5siIccTw9
— Pet Shop Boys (@petshopboys) October 6, 2023
Drake is a Canadian rapper and singer. Gaining recognition by starring as Jimmy Brooks in the CTV teen drama series “Degrassi: The Next Generation”, he pursued a recording career in 2006, releasing his debut mixtape “Room for Improvement” in February of that year. He followed up with the mixtapes “Comeback Season” (2007) and “So Far Gone” (2009) before signing with Young Money Entertainment.
It is not the first time Drake gets into trouble when it comes to giving credit to other artists. In 2012, singer Ericka Lee filed a lawsuit against Drake for the usage of her voice on “Marvins Room”. Claiming to have provided the female vocals, Lee also alleged she was owed songwriting credits and royalties. In 2014, Drake was sued for $300,000 for sampling “Jimmy Smith Rap”, a 1982 single by jazz musician Jimmy Smith. Also in 2014, it emerged that Drake was sued by rapper Rappin’ 4-Tay, claiming Drake misused his lyrics when collaborating with YG on the song “Who Do You Love?”. And the list goes on and on.
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