A year and one day after Beyoncé dropped her first Lemonade single “Formation,” the estate of Messy Mya — a YouTube personality who was murdered in 2010 — is leading a lawsuit against the singer, claiming Beyoncé sampled vocals from the New Orleans bounce artist and social-media celebrity without permission. “What happened at the New Wil’ins / Bitch I’m back, by popular demand” served as the opening sample in “Formation,” which comes from Messy Mya’s 2010 viral video “Booking the Hoes From New Wildin.” Per TMZ, the estate claims to have reached out to Beyoncé’s representatives numerous times to discuss the sample, but their inquiries were never met with a response. As a result, they’re now seeking more than $20 million “in back royalties and other damages” for its usage. No one from Beyoncé’s team has yet to comment. Watch both videos in question below.
