Tory Lanez can’t seem to avoid drama.
George Michael’s estate says Tory Lanez used an unauthorized sample of the late singer’s “Careless Whisper” single. The Canadian rapper/singer allegedly released his song “Enchanted Waterfall” without clearing the sample.
“It was brought to our attention that the song ‘Enchanted Waterfall’ by the artist Tory Lanez incorporated an unauthorized sample of ‘Careless Whisper’ written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgelem,” Michael’s estate told Variety. “Requested permission for this use had been declined in June 2021 so we took immediate action on behalf of the writers, in collaboration with our publishers Warner Chappell Music, to prevent further exploitation as we will not tolerate any unauthorized use of any songs within the catalogues of George Michael and/or Andrew Ridgeley.”
Tory Lanez’s “Enchanted Waterfall” appears on his Alone At Prom album, which dropped last December. Spotify no longer features the song, but it still remains available on Apple Music, TIDAL and YouTube.
“Enchanted Waterfall” isn’t the first Alone At Prom track to spark trouble for the controversial artist. Madonna previously accused him of sampling her song “Into The Groove” without permission for the album cut “Pluto’s Last Comet.”
Sample issues are the least of Tory Lanez’s worries as he currently awaits trial in an assault case. He faces criminal charges for allegedly shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. A pre-trial hearing will take place in April.
