The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar Sued Over ‘Pray For Me’ Sample

Brooklyn-based indie rock band Yeasayer sued The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar on Monday, alleging that their song “Pray For Me” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack illegally sampled the band’s 2007 song “Sunrise.”

Yeasayer said “Sunrise” includes the band members “singing in their highest registers, with animated, pulsing vibrato” that was “developed via distinctive audio post-processing.” The band says this recording was extracted, slightly modified, and inserted into “Pray For Me” without their permission.

The band asserted that The Weeknd—whose given name is Abel Tesfaye—and Lamar altered the “Sunrise” sample “with the intent to conceal the infringement.”

Lamar produced the top-selling ...