The sauce gets a legal Rick-roll from the man himself… Rick Asley is suing the up-and-coming rapper for allegedly ripping the singer’s voice off his most popular hit.
Astley filed legal papers Thursday in Los Angeles claiming Gravy’s hugely popular «Betty (Get Money)» uses a spoofed version of her own vocals from 1987’s «Never Gonna Give You Up.»
In the documents, obtained by TMZ, Astley says Gravy and his producers – including Dillon Francis – «conspired to include a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation of Mr. Astley’s voice throughout the song.» He is also suing Nick Seeley (aka Popnick), the vocal impersonator.
Astley says he never gave Gravy, or anyone involved with ‘Betty (Get Money)’, permission to use or imitate his voice – and because Gravy did, he spoiled any future chance for Rick to collaborate with another artist in the future.
We’d have to say, though, that Gravy licensed the instrumental from Astley’s ’80s hit…but not her vocals.
Plus… Astley’s lawsuit points to a few instances where Gravy allegedly claimed he knew he was in murky territory to impersonate Rick, including an interview with Billboard where he said he had «basically remade ‘Rick’s voice,’ because it makes it easier legally.»
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«Never Gonna Give You Up» was a huge hit for Astley, reaching No. 1. «Betty» was Gravy’s most successful song to date – going gold in the US, Canada and Australia.
Astley is suing for millions of dollars.