Nicki Minaj Claims She Doesn't Owe Tracy Chapman Anything Over Nas Collab: Report

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Nicki Minaj attends the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City.
Nicki Minaj fires back at Tracy Chapman over the “Baby Can I Hold You” sample on "Sorry."

Nicki Minaj and Tracy Chapman have been duking it out in court over accusations that the Queen rapper used the singer's song without proper authorization. However, Nicki Minaj is disputing that she owes Chapman anything, claiming the use of the singer's track, "Baby Can I Hold You" was fair game.

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According to The Blast, Nicki Minaj fired back at Tracy Chapman's lawsuit claiming that she doesn't owe the singer a dime for the use of "Baby Can I Hold You." Chapman's song was used for the leaked song, "Sorry" featuring Nas. Nicki Minaj denied any wrongdoing. However, she did admit that she tried to get Chapman's permission on several occasions to use her music. Those requests made by Nicki Minaj were ultimately denied. She said she created the song before she asked for permission.

Nicki also added that she tried to add the song, "Sorry" ft. Nas was initially for her album Queen but was left off because of sample clearance issues. However, the song was later leaked by Funkmaster Flex who shared it on social media. Nicki argued that the use of Chapman's song is fair use and further claimed that Chapman doesn't even own the copyright to the song. 

Nicki Minaj was sued by Chapman for unspecified damages and an injunction from Nicki using her music in the future.


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Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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