This is America: Childish Gambino sued by rapper who claims track is ‘practically identical’ to his song
Rapper Kidd Wes claims track is a copy of his song ‘Made in America’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Childish Gambino is being sued over claims he stole the song “This is America” from another rapper.
The musician and actor – real name Donald Glover – released the track in 2018, where it went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 and earned four Grammys, including for Record and Song of the Year and Best Music Video.
Now TMZ is reporting that rapper Kidd Wes (whose real name is Emelike Nwosuocha) has filed a lawsuit against Glover.
Nwosuocha claims that the song is a copy of his track “Made in America”, which was released on SoundCloud in 2016 and registered with the US Copyright Office in May 2017.
According to legal documents, the rapper says that the chorus of “This is America” is “unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical” to his own song.
He has specifically pointed out the similarities between the refrain of “This is America”: “This is America / Guns in my area / I got the strap / I gotta carry ‘em” and “Made in America”: "Made in America / Flex on the radio / Made me a terrorist / Pessimistic n****s / You should just cherish this".
He is suing Glover, as well as the song’s co-writers, its record label, Roc Nation and fellow rapper Young Thug who sings backing vocals on the track.
The Independent has contacted Glover’s representatives for comment.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments