When Beyoncé released Renaissance in 2022, it was welcomed with praise from fans and critics alike. The hour-long LP, which ran continuously and dabbled in various areas of dance music throughout generations, captured imaginations and got people dancing worldwide; however, two years after its initial release, Beyoncé may find herself in hot water over the alleged use of an unlicensed sample.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been issued a copyright infringement lawsuit over the popular track ‘Break My Soul’. According to legal documents provided to Baller Alert on May 22nd, the claim comes from a group called Da Showstoppaz. They state that the pair unlawfully used their 2002 song ‘Release A Wiggle’ on the track.
Also named in the lawsuit is Big Freedia and her song ‘Explode,’ which has been sampled on ‘Break My Soul’ and is allegedly where the illegality stems from. The claimants, Tessa Avie, Henri Braggs, Brian Clark, and Keva Bourgeois, state that the unique phrases that they used in their music were copied in the songs above without permission. They also state that they have never confirmed that the sample can be used or received payment for it.
While further specifics surrounding the case are unknown, it is understood that Da Showstoppaz is seeking an unspecified amount of damages and claiming royalties on the songs.
Beyoncé’s most recent album, Cowboy Carter, has been a lot more upfront about its supposed influences. It includes multiple covers by artists like The Beatles and Dolly Parton. The album has recently surpassed one billion streams on Spotify after only being released in March. Chart Data confirmed the news, writing, “Beyonce’s ‘COWBOY CARTER’ has now surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify.”
There is no denying the record has been a major success. 23 of the 27 featured tracks made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, meaning Beyoncé now has 106 songs on the Hot 100. This means she is the 17th artist in history to score over 100 tracks on the charting system.
News surrounding the potential copyright infringement case is still coming in, and this remains a developing story.
