Kendrick Lamar Sued For Copyright Infringement Over “LOYALTY.”
Kendrick Lamar is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit over the Rihanna-featuring DAMN. single “LOYALTY.,” Complex reports. Musician Terrance Hayes is claiming that “LOYALTY.” lifts “the entire composition, including title, melody, harmony, and rhythm,” from his own track also called “Loyalty.”
Hayes recorded “Loyalty” in 2011 with Josef Leimberg, who later contributed to Lamar’s 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly, and he says that producer Terrace Martin has access to the track via Leimberg’s computer. In addition to Lamar, Hayes named Leimberg, Martin, and Top Dawg Entertainment as defendants in a suit filed in a California federal court last week.
Hayes is seeking all profits from Lamar’s “LOYALTY.” in addition to the equivalent of “all losses of the Plaintiff,” “any other monetary advantage gained by the Defendants through their infringement, the exact sum to be proven at the time of trial,” and legal fees. Find the full complaint and listen to “LOYALTY.” below.