Culture

Beyoncé is being sued for $20M over a sample on “Formation”

YouTube performer Messy Mya’s estate says the singer hasn’t responded to requests.

Culture

$20M
The amount Messy Mya’s estate alleges Beyoncé owes for the use of a sample in “Formation.”
Culture

Beyoncé is being sued for $20M over a sample on “Formation”

YouTube performer Messy Mya’s estate says the singer hasn’t responded to requests.

Beyoncé is being sued for $20 million over a sample used at the beginning of her 2016 track “Formation.” The suit, brought by the estate of New Orleans YouTube personality Messy Mya, alleges that the singer used the sample — taken from a 2010 video — without permission and didn’t respond to requests over the use.

Messy Mya — Anthony Barre — became something of a sensation on YouTube thanks to his “fluorescent hair shades and caustic barbs.” His YouTube performances, mixing music, confessionals, and brutal takedowns of locals, earned him fame, but also made him a target. Mya was murdered in 2010, and the case remains open. News of his death leaked out on the internet just after he was killed. As the Times-Picayune paper reported it:

Moments after gunshots roared through the 7th Ward on Sunday night, a lone snapshot appeared on the Internet.

In it, a 22-year-old man is lying cheek to the ground, crimson pooling around his neck. His eyes are closed, his torso curled.

Chaos explodes around him, with the arms of others pressed to the back of his head. And someone is holding a cell phone just inches from his face.

This is how the world learned of Messy Mya’s death.

Beyoncé and team have yet to respond to the case, which was first reported by TMZ.