Childish Gamnbino ( Donald Glover ) sued for copyright infringements over Grammy winning song This Is America

Award-winning actor/rapper Donald Glover ( Childish Gambino ) sued for copyright infringement for the Grammy record “This is America.”  Court documents filed in New York by rapper Kidd Wess ( Emelike Nwosuocha ) claim that This Is America has "unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical" to his "Made in America." In 2016 Kidd Wess upload “Made In America” to SoundCloud two years before Gambino’’s “This is America.”  Musicologist Dr. Brent Swanson, a witness for Wess, wrote a report as evidence in the lawsuit  “There are distinct similarities in melodic contour, rhythmic triplet flow in each performance, and the lines ‘Made in America’ and ‘This is America’ line up nearly perfectly. They also both use rhythmic utterances in their performances.”  The lawsuit includes RCA records ROC Nation and rapper Young Thungg, credited as a writer who also sang background vocals on the hit song. Kidd Wess is reportedly seeking millions in damages and lost opportunities. “This is America,” and Childish Gambino went on to win two Grammy’s in 2019 for best song and record.

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