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Earlier this year, a lawsuit was filed against musical artists The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar, as a track from their Black Panther soundtrack was accused of infringing on the copyright of a pre-existing song. That case didn’t take long to resolve, as only a couple of months later, a decision has been made to dismiss the dispute, to the satisfaction of both parties.
Legal representatives for both rock group Yeasayer (the complaining party in this matter) and The Weeknd have signed off on dismissing the case, according to Digital Music News. With Yeasayer originally claiming that the Black Panther single “Pray For Me” had infringed on the copyright of their own tune “Sunrise” via some slightly tweaked musical elements, it looked as if this would be the latest in the history of Hollywood lawsuits alleging someone had stolen original content.
That would apparently no longer be the case, as this agreed dismissal leaves the chart-topping hit from director Ryan Coogler’s 2018 MCU hit able to exist without a care in the world. This is probably a good thing, considering Disney+ already has its hands full with all of the content alterations it's made without legal precedent.
The last thing anyone would have needed was for Black Panther to have to replace any sort of musical content with a generic backing tune. It’s a point that rings especially true when you think about how both the music within the film, as well as the tracks that were only featured on Black Panther: The Album, are deeply tied into the culture and content of the movie itself.
Any particular film’s score and musical soundtrack is sure to be identified as what makes that story feel unique. That claim only gets stronger when you remember just how big of a cultural event the release of Black Panther was, as the world celebrated Marvel Studios’ first solo-effort for a black superhero from the company’s comic canon.
With this Black Panther lawsuit reaching its mutually agreed conclusion, all the attention to details going into the creation of Black Panther II can now continue as planned. Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be caught up in the great standstill the world is currently encountering, it’s never a bad time to start dreaming what the future of Wakanda will sound like.
Black Panther II is slated for a May 6, 2022 debut, but that could change with the rest of the MCU having to adjust its release schedules for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, you can also watch Black Panther, complete with its usage of “Pray For Me,” on Disney+. Not a subscriber yet? Check out the movie through a 7-day free trial, and enjoy!
