Kendrick Lamar & The Weeknd Reportedly Sued Over "Pray for Me"

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Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd are reportedly being sued by Brooklyn-based rock band Yeasayer, who is claiming that the artists stole their vocals for a song.

According to reports from TMZ, the band says The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar illegally sampled their song “Sunrise” and used it in their collaboration off of the Black Panther soundtrack, “Pray for Me.” In the lawsuit, Yeasayer claims “Pray for Me” has a “distinctive choral performance” that the band recorded with their very own voices. The band goes on to describe the sound as being “comprised of male voices singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato.”

Now, Yeasayer is alleging that the choral performance in questions was used at least eight times throughout Lamar’s song with The Weeknd. Not only that, the suit also claims that the modifications to the sound on the song were done with the “intent to conceal the infringement.”

Despite these modifications, though, Yeasayer still feels like the sound was “immediately recognizable” to their fans, who have been vouching for the similarities all along.

Yeasayer is asking Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd to give them all profits they’ve made from the double-platinum single as damages. On top of that, the band also wants an injunction blocking further sales and airplay of the song.

Listen to both songs down below to see for yourself whether or not the similarities are there.