Is it possible for a rickroll to go too far? Twenty-six-year-old rapper Yung Gravy may be about to find out. Born Matthew Hauri, the musician – from Rochester, Minnesota – had a viral hit last year with Betty (Get Money), a track that heavily interpolated Rick Astley’s 1987 hit Never Gonna Give You Up – which itself gained new prominence 20 years after its initial release thanks to rickrolling, a phenomenon in which internet users troll each other by sending covert links to the song’s music video. Now, Billboard reports that Astley is suing Gravy, saying that the rapper violated his “right of publicity” by hiring a singer to imitate his voice on the track.
Although Gravy’s use of the melody and lyrics of Never Gonna Give You Up was authorised by Astley, his lawsuit claims that he never authorised Gravy and his collaborator, Nick Seeley, to use his “signature voice” on the song. The lawsuit suggests that Gravy “conspired to include a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation of Mr Astley’s voice”, with the intent to “capitalise off of the immense popularity and goodwill” of Astley. Astley’s lawyers claim that Gravy’s song caused “immense damage”, given that Astley is “extremely protective” over his image and likeness.
