Childish Gambino Faces Copyright Infringement Claim Against “This Is America” Song
Donald Glover or popularly known as Childish Gambino got sued over a copyright infringement claim by a rapper against his “This Is America” song.
Kidd Wes, a rapper, is suing Glover, alleging that his Grammy-winning hit This Is America was stolen from him. Gambino’s 2018 album, is “glaringly similar” to a song he posted two years ago on Soundcloud, according to US federal court documents Emelike Nwosuocha.
“Nearly-identical unique rhythmic, lyrical, and thematic compositional and performance content contained in the chorus – or ‘hook’ – sections that are the centerpieces of both songs.” according to the lawsuit filed in New York.
This Is America became the first rap album to win both best song and best record Grammys in 2019. The song is full of social commentary and features an up-tempo rhythm layered with church hymns and Afrobeats, as well as a darker, foreboding bassline.
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The flow of Gambino’s song is “unmistakably significantly similar, if not virtually identical,” according to Nwosuocha. He cited a musicologist who said “similarities in melodic contour, rhythmic triplet flow in each performance, and the lines Made in America and This is America are ‘likely not coincidences’” when comparing the two songs.
Nwosuocha is requesting a tribunal as well as damages for lost earnings and opportunities. Gambino’s record label, RCA, as well as Roc Nation and the rapper Young Thug, who is credited as a writer and performs backing vocals, are among the defendants listed in the lawsuit.
The accusations have elicited no public response from Gambino. In 2018, a writer noted a resemblance between “This Is America” and “American Pharaoh,” a song by rapper Jase Harley.
However, Harley decided against taking legal action after Gambino’s manager dismissed the plagiarism claims. Gambino’s camp claimed that computer files dating back to 2015 showed Gambino’s song was original.
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