Daniela Vesco / Parkwood Entertainment / AP InvisionMusic / NewsBeyoncé 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: Escape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy Expand your creative community and connect with 15,000 creatives from around the world.READ MOREEvilgiane’s camera roll from his tour with Snow StrippersFinnish alt-pop star Pehmoaino: ‘Art helps us survive this dark country’OnMeet the creatives turning up the heat in Lagos with Burna Boy and On10 great albums you may have missed in the last three monthsLamb is making ‘electronic lyrical’ music that sounds like no one elseArabic shoegaze duo Kiss Facility speak a language deeper than words‘Nazis can’t dance’: Photos from London’s House Against Hate protest rave5 tracks you can’t miss from March 2026ADL: The best and worst tracks on Yeat’s new album‘A cig in one hand and an inhaler in the other’: Fcukers know how to partyThis book looks inside the mad world of Lee ‘Scratch’ PerryDazed Mix: Lauren AuderEscape the algorithm! Get The DropEmail address SIGN UP Get must-see stories direct to your inbox every weekday. Privacy policy Thank you. You have been subscribed Privacy policy