As listeners proceed to dissect Drake’s new album For All of the Canines, English synth-pop duo Pet Store Boys are calling out the MC for interpolating their 1986 track “West Finish Ladies” on “All of the Events” with out correct credit score or permission.
The lyrics in query come when Drake sings, “And it’s 6, our city a useless finish world/ East Finish boys and West Finish women.” In “West Finish Ladies,” Pet Store Boys sing: “In a West Finish city, a useless finish world/ The East Finish boys and West Finish women.”
Following the album’s launch Friday (Oct. 6), Pet Store Boys shared this message on X: “Stunning to listen to @Drake singing the refrain of ‘West Finish Ladies’ within the observe ‘All of the Events’ on his new album. No credit score given or permission requested.”
The credit for Drake’s “All of the Events,” which options Chief Keef, don’t embrace Pet Store Boys members Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe on Spotify Apple Music or the Songview database efficiency rights organizations use to trace fractional possession. As for “West Finish Ladies,” the track loved a fruitful run in 1986, netting the highest slot on the Billboard Scorching 100 that yr — the group’s highest-charting track on the tally.
Drake has a protracted historical past of interpolating information. His most up-to-date comes from T.I.’s 2003 track “24’s,” which subtly resides on Drake and 21 Savage’s Her Loss single “Wealthy Flex.” Licensed Lover Boy included a number of samples from songs by The Beatles, *NSYNC and R. Kelly. His Scorching 100 chart-topper “Method Too Horny,” additionally from CLB, sampled Proper Mentioned Fred’s 1991 single “I’m Too Horny.” Shortly after the album was launched in September 2021, a supply informed Billboard that the writing credit score splits had but to be finalized. That’s a typical observe amongst writers, however one that may turn out to be notably problematic with interpolation because it provides the unique songwriters and their rights holders higher leverage when negotiating a share of the track’s copyright.
Billboard reached out to Kobalt, which represents Tennant and Lowe’s publishing, and Drake’s reps for remark, however neither responded at time of publishing.
