This week, a court will likely decide if Katy Perry and her producers (including the controversial “Dr. Luke”) are guilty of copyright infringement. In a lawsuit that has now been going on for years, Christian rapper Flame says that Perry’s 2013 hit “Dark Horse” essentially ripped off his single “Joyful Noise.”
Flame’s 2008 song featuring Lecrae was a hit in its own right and was even nominated for a Grammy. The lawsuit adds that “the devoutly religious message of ‘Joyful Noise’ has been irreparably tarnished by its association with the witchcraft, paganism, black magic, and Illuminati imagery evoked by the same music in ‘Dark Horse.’”
Perry’s team has denied that they copied the track, claiming that they had never even heard the song. Their attorney said this about the bass line: “This is a common musical building block used in many compositions,” adding that Flame’s team “cannot monopolize that.”
Here are comparisons of the two tracks:
And, here’s a mashup:
The court is expected to make its ruling soon. We’ll keep you updated when a decision is made.
