The Weeknd, along with collaborators Nicolas Jaar and Frank Dukes, are being sued by Suniel Fox and Henry Strange, who make up the group Epikker. The lawsuit accuses the Weeknd, Jaar and Dukes of plagiarizing their 2015 song “Vibeking” for his 2018 single, “Call Out My Name.”
The suit alleges, “Both works are in a minor key. Both works are in a 6/8 meter that is less common in popular music. Both works are played at a similar tempo. And both works use features of electronica, ambience, pop, hip-hop, rock, and R&B to achieve a particular atmospheric and melancholic sound.” Fox and Strange allege they were in correspondence with the Weeknd’s DJ and engineer PNDA, who told them that he wasn’t going to credit them on the song. The two artists seek all profits that “Call Out My Name” has amassed, along with legal fees, and want the Weeknd blocked from performing the song until the case is settled. Universal Music Group and other entities that back the Weeknd were also named in the suit.
“Call Out My Name” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and amassed over 700 million YouTube views and 836 million Spotify streams. Fox and Strange’s “Vibeking” is currently unavailable on any streaming services.
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