Written by: Mikayla Coleman

Rapper Matthew Raymond Hauri, infamously known by fans as Yung Gravy, has been releasing music since 2016. Hauri began releasing music for fun on SoundCloud while attending college. Since then, Yung Gravy has become a memorable name around college campuses, encapsulating a carefree, laidback attitude often paired with college life and encouraging its audience to not take life too seriously. 

With popular songs such as “Mr.Clean,” “Gravy Train” and “C’est la Vie,” Yung Gravy’s music combines modern trap music with callbacks to older, well-known soul songs, creating a  unique and fun sound that captivates young audiences today. These borrowed, older songs, while being a pillar of what makes Yung Gravy’s music charming and recognizable, have landed Yung Gravy into some treacherous waters, namely, being sued by “Never Gonna Give You Up” singer, Rick Astley. 

The song in question is Yung Gravy’s newest single, “Betty (Get Money),” released in June 2022. Included within the song is a brief hook including a vocal replication that sounds similar to the voice of Rick Astley, as well as an instrumental recreation of Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.” 

Astley alleges that Yung Gravy and the studio engineers involved in the song’s creation impersonated Astley’s voice and falsely stated Astley’s approval of the project.

To avoid having to jump through the hoops of getting the song licensed for sampling within “Betty (Get Money),” Yung Gravy and studio engineers involved in the song’s creation attempted to recreate the instrumental. 

Yung Gravy explained this thought process in an interview with Billboard in August 2022, “My boy Nick, who does a lot of sample replays and recreating original samples, we basically remade the whole song. Had a different singer and instruments, but it was all really close because it makes it easier legally.” 

Unfortunately, Yung Gravy’s understanding of this system may have been mistaken. Astley is seeking an unspecified amount of money for damages, including all gains and profits of their violation and attorney’s fees. It is expected that the lawsuit will amount to millions. 

The ruling of this case will set the precedent for artists that use sampled music or recreations within their work, a fairly common practice, especially in less popular music circles. 

Contact the author at howleditor@wou.edu