Drake Slammed by Pet Shop Boys for Allegedly Not Clearing ...
British synth-pop group the Pet Shop Boys are the latest to call out Drake for allegedly not getting permission to use their lyrics in his newly-dropped “For All the Dogs” record.
PSB issued a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday afternoon. In it, they claim Drake did not credit the group for having used the infamous chorus line from their 1984 single “West End Girls” on “All the Parties,” which also features verses from Chief Kief.
“It’s 6, our town a dead-end world,” Drake sings on the track. “East End boys and West End girls, yeah.”
“West End Girls” was the first single the duo — comprised of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe — released. It became an instant hit in both the United States and the U.K. after it appeared as part of their 1986 record “Please.”
“Surprising to hear @Drake singing the chorus of ‘West End girls’ in the track ‘All the Parties’ on his new album. No credit given or permission requested,” the pair wrote on X. They also included the hashtag “#kobaltmusic,” with whom they signed in 2013.
As of now, the only credited producers on the track are BNYX®, Boi-1da, Fierce, Coleman, Maneesh, Harley Arsenault and JDolla, and the only credited writer is Drake.
A representative for Drake and Pet Shop Boys did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.
This is the second widely-publicized person or group to accuse Drake of not crediting their work on his new record today. A Baltimore artist by the name of Rye Rye also came forward claiming that the Canadian rapper did not ask for her permission to use what she says are her vocals on “Calling For You,” which features 21 Savage. She also claims she didn’t receive credit for another one of the samples he allegedly used on his 2022 record “Honestly, Nevermind.”
REALLY @Drake MY VOCALS AGAIN? & NO CREDIT? I really wanna be flattered but I feel like it’s trolling ATP OMG …one of my fave artists doing this I don’t know how to feel anymore ???????????????? but thank you for reminding me that my 15 year old vocals are still legendary ???????? pic.twitter.com/BhKbAm17CP
— Rye Rye (@RyeRye) October 6, 2023“The producers are using it but [Drake] still as the artists [sic] has to clear the samples…,” she said in another tweet.
The follow-up to his and 21 Savages’s Billboard 200 chart-topper “Her Loss,” “For All the Dogs” features a stacked lineup of A-list artists like Bad Bunny, SZA, J. Cole, Bad Bunny, 21 Savage, Lil Yachty, and many across the 23-song tracklist.
