Source: Christopher Polk/AMA2016 / Getty
Another “W” in the books for the 6 God.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Drake convinced a federal judge that his song, “Pound Cake/Paris Morton Music 2,” off the 2013 album, Nothing Was the Same, fairly sampled a 1982 spoken-word recording, “Jimmy Smith Rap,” and that there is no liability for copyright infringement.
Judge William H. Pauley III decided to dismiss Drizzy’s three-year long battle with a famous jazz musician’s estate, ordering that the rapper will not have to pay the $300K as requested. As you may recall, the estate of jazz musician Jimmy Smith, sued Drake back in 2014 for jacking their sample. However, Drizzy struck back, claiming that the estate never owned a valid copyright for Jimmy Smith’s track and therefore could not sue him for damages.
Judge Pauley wrote that the purpose of Drake’s remake is “sharply different” from the original artist, adding, “This is precisely the type of use that ‘adds something new, with a further purpose or different character, altering the first [work] with new expression, meaning, or message.”
Three years later, the case has officially been closed. Drake’s midas touch strikes again.
