‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ singer Rick Astley has sued the rapper Yung Gravy for imitating his voice in his hit ‘Betty (Get Money).’ Billboard recently reported that the rapper impersonated Astley’s voice in his song without legal authorization.
The lawsuit was filed by Astley’s attorney Richard Busch, who claimed that the public was unable to tell the difference:
“The public could not tell the difference. The imitation of Mr. Astley’s voice was so successful the public believed it was actually Mr. Astley singing. [It was used] in an effort to capitalize off of the immense popularity and goodwill of Mr. Astley.”
The suit alleges that in order to mimic Astley’s voice, Gravy hired a sound engineer and producer named Nick ‘Popnick’ Seeley, who also wrote the beat for ‘Get Schwifty’ on the series ‘Rick and Morty.’
The filing states that the rapper did not have the right to sample Astley’s hit and that permission was never granted to use or impersonate his voice.
The rapper’s representatives declined to comment on the allegations.