In his immensely famous song “Betty (Get Money),” rapper Yung Gravy is accused of stealing the voice of singer Rick Astley from his most well-known smash song “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
On January 26th, Astley filed a lawsuit against Gravy in Los Angeles.
According to the paper that the outlet was able to receive, Astley alleged that Gravy and his producers, including Dillon Francis, “conspired to insert a purposeful and almost imperceptibly similar impersonation of Mr. Astley’s voice throughout the song.” Additionally, he is suing voice impersonator Nick Seeley (also known as Popnick).
Additionally, he said that Gravy ruined any potential for him to work with another artist in the future because he didn’t grant anyone involved in “Betty (Get Money)” consent to use or mimic his voice.
Additionally, it was discovered that Gravy had licensed the song’s instrumental but not Astley’s vocals.
In certain instances, according to Astley’s lawsuit, Gravy has claimed he was aware of the ethical gray area surrounding his impersonation of Rick. For instance, in a Billboard interview, he claimed he “essentially remade” Rick’s voice “because it makes it simpler legally.”
Astley’s song “Never Gonna Give You Up” was a major hit, reaching the top place. Gravy’s most popular song to date, “Betty,” went gold in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
