Kendrick Lamar Vs AK: Is 'The Heart Part 5' Music Video Concept Stolen? [Watch]

Kendrick Lamar
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New Jersey rapper AK claims Kendrick Lamar stole the idea for his recent video "The Heart Part 5".

Kendrick's concept reportedly is not an original, and even a BLATANT copy of AK's 2020 video "Family Tree."

In "Family Tree," AK transforms himself into Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and, coincidentally, Lamar.

It can be recalled that in "The Heart Part 5," Lamar transformed into Will Smith, Jussie Smollett and Nipsey Hussle. AK stated in a Monday morning Instagram video, "Maybe I'm fooling myself for thinking that Kendrick saw my video and was like, 'Damn, that's so good that I want to do it myself.'

He added, "I was under Universal; he is under Universal. I did that video in 2020 with Universal. Obviously, the song didn't do as good as if Kendrick was to do it, but the concept was so sick and I f*cking don't know, but it's the same exact thing - it's a backdrop, it's him in front of it, it's one take."

AK ended the video by discussing the obstacles faced by independent musicians, many of whom claim bigger performers have stolen their ideas. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar's final TDE album, drops this Friday, May 13.

This is not the first plagiarism issue that Lamar was embroiled in. One can remember that a suit for the such cause of action was filed in 2020 as well.

Yeasayer, a Brooklyn-based band, has sued Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd. For their Black Panther soundtrack song, "Pray For Me," the band has sued the two. Yeasayer claims the tune infringes on their 2007 All Hour Cymbals highlight, "Sunrise."

According to legal documents, "Pray For Me" uses a "distinctive choral performance" of the band's "Sunrise" tune. Male voices singing in their highest registers, with lively, pulsating vibrato" are also similar. They claim The Weeknd and Kendrick just slightly altered their song's audio to "conceal the infringement." Yeasayer, which disbanded last year, seeks earnings and damages. They also want to stop sales and airplay of the song.

The attorneys for Lamar and Tesfaye responded to these charges by asserting that "Pray For Me" was "produced independently of and without knowledge of the allegedly infringing work."

Around June of that year it was suddenly revealed that the plaintiffs were no longer pursuing the action. It's not clear what kind of talks happened behind the scenes from the time the lawsuit was filed until the final filing wherein the two parties stated that the action must be dismissed.

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