Drake’s new album, For All the Dogs, is under fire by the Pet Shop Boys. Why? Because the rapper sang the chorus of “West End Girls” without permission in one of his new songs.
Drake’s 23-track record includes features from Bad Bunny, SZA, Lil Yachty, J. Cole, Chief Keef, 21 Savage, Teezo Touchdown, Yeat and PartyNextDoor. He also samples Frank Ocean on the opening track “Virginia Beach.” However, it is the track “All the Parties,” featuring Chief Keef, that draws the ire of 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,” Pet Shop Boys wrote on their social media. “No credit given or permission requested.”
The credits for “All the Parties” are as follows: Drake, B. Saint Fort, Coleman, Fierce, H. Arsenault, Jdolla, M. Bidaye and M. Samuels. No sign of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe of the Pet Shop Boys.
The sample of “West End Girls” by the Pet Shop Boys in “All the Parties” by Drake begins at the 2:37 mark in the song below.
This controversy sheds light on intellectual property rights and why obtaining proper permissions and providing credit when sampling or using copyrighted material is nothing to gloss over. An infamous example of this is when Radiohead’s publishing representatives sued Lana Del Rey regarding the similarity between her song “Get Free” and Radiohead’s “Creep” five years ago. Notably, Radiohead was sued over “Creep” by the writers of the 1971 Hollie’s song “The Air I Breathe.”
Neither Drake’s representatives nor Tennant and Lowe’s publishing representatives have released further comments on the situation. Not to speculate too wildly, but when it comes to such a serious topic as copyright disputes, it isn’t likely this issue will just fade away without either a settlement or a case.
