Daniela Vesco / Parkwood Entertainment / AP InvisionMusicNewsBeyoncé sued for sample used in ‘Formation’ openingThe $20million dollar case centres on an ‘uncleared’ sample of deceased Orleans rapper Messy MyaShareLink copied ✔️February 8, 2017MusicNewsTextAnna Cafolla The estate of Messy Mya, a New Orleans-based rapper and famous YouTuber who was murdered in 2010, is suing Beyoncé. A case, seeking $20 million from the Lemonade singer, alleges that “Formation” uses a sample from Messy Mya, real name Anthony Barré. At the beginning of the track, the rapper can be heard saying “What happened after New Orleans?” and “Bitch I’m back, by popular demand”, from his work “A 27 Piece Huh?” and “Booking The Hoes From New Wildins”. No credit is given to Barré. “They are the defining introduction of the song ‘Formation’ and the seed from which the entire song grows,” the lawsuit claims. “There should be no doubt that Anthony Barré’s unique, gravelly voice, cadence and words were sampled by defendants.” According to TMZ, this sample was not cleared, and while the family attempted to contact Beyoncé and her team about the use of the sample, they were repeatedly ignored. The case is suing for $20 million dollars in royalties and other damages now that its first “amicable” requests were aired. “He was very famous for the line, ‘Follow me camera,’ as he traversed the City of New Orleans and traveled deeply into the gay, lesbian and transgender communities,” the lawsuit states. Barré was shot in 2010 while exiting a baby shower in New Orleans, aged just 22. Watch Messy Mya’s “Booking The Hoes From New Wildin” and Beyoncé’s video for “Formation” below: Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREWesley Joseph is the Marty Supreme of R&B (only nicer) How Turnstile are reinventing hardcore for the internet ageWill these be the biggest musical moments of 2026?Rising singer Liim is the crooning voice of New York CityFrench producer Malibu is an ambient antidote for the chronically online10 musicians to watch in 202610 great albums you may have missed in the last three monthsZukovstheworld on the UK Ug scene: ‘It’s modern pop music’The only tracks you need to hear from December 202511 alt Christmas anthems for the miserable and brokenhearted Last Days: The opera exploring the myth of Kurt CobainHow hip-hop is shaping the fight for Taiwan’s future