Katy Perry’s ‘Dark Horse’ ripped off Christian rap song, jury rules

Christian rapper Marcus Gray has won his lawsuit against the “Dark Horse” singer. Katy Perry could be paying Gray with a hefty check for damages.

A federal jury in California has unanimously ruled the decision that Perry’s track “Dark Horse” from 2013, ripped off another artist’s single according to reports from ET.

The week-long trial against Perry along with the song’s co-authors and producer consisted of nine jurors who finalized the decision on Monday. The jury agreed with Gray’s claims that his 2009 Christian rap song “Joyful Noise” was copied for Dark Horse.

The lawsuit was filed more than five years ago by Gray a.ka. Flame and his two co-writers. They claimed that several elements of Joyful Noise including the beat and instrumental line were directly stolen by the defendants.

Perry and others argued they had never heard of Gray or his song prior to being sued according to the AP. As a counter-argument, the rapper’s lawyers claim that the song was streamed millions of times online and appeared in a GRAMMY-nominated album. This circumstance, the attorneys claim, would make it difficult for the writers not to be exposed to Joyful Noise prior to writing Dark Horse.

Perry reportedly offered to sing her 2013 hit live during the third day of the lawsuit’s hearing when her lawyers got caught in a technical glitch.
According to the Associated Press, Perry was not present in court when the decision was returned last Monday. The case is expected to proceed to the damages phase which will determine how much Perry will owe Gray in Damages.

Laura Ebeling
Laura Ebeling
Laura is a reporter and a gossip columnist for Best in Australia. She focuses on celebrities, science and social affairs in Australia and worldwide.
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