Lil Nas X Sued for Allegedly Stealing From Bobby Caldwell’s ‘Carry On’
Lil Nas X is being sued over allegations that he stole from Bobby Caldwell's classic song, "Carry On."
TMZ reports that the 20-year-old Atlanta-based rapper and his record label, Sony, are both being sued by a music company called the Music Force, which alleges that Lil Nas X borrowed from the title song of Caldwell's 1982 album without permission and posted the song to YouTube, Spotify and Soundcloud. Lil Nas X' song, which is also titled "Carry On," sounds very close to Caldwell's track. The suit claims that it had received nearly 4 million views on YouTube as of early July and alleges that Lil Nas X was "motivated by greed and malicious intent." Listen to both tracks at the bottom of the story.
The Music Force also names Sony in the suit, though the rapper was not signed with the label at the time he released his track. The lawsuit says Sony should have vetted Lil Nas X more thoroughly to make sure he had the rights to his songs before signing him. The lawsuit asks for $25 million in damages, claiming Lil Nas X' track has permanently devalued Caldwell's song.
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Neither Lil Nas X nor Sony have commented publicly on the lawsuit.
The rapper was practically unknown prior to March of 2019 when he shot to overnight fame with the release of "Old Town Road." The song has since become a multi-genre phenomenon after Lil Nas X teamed with Billy Ray Cyrus for a remix, and he's since issued several additional remixes.
Bobby Caldwell is best known for his massive 1978 hit "What You Won't Do for Love."
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