Music Rick Astley sues Yung Gravy, claiming he 'flagrantly' imitated his voice on song 'Betty (Get Money)' The singer isn’t rolling over on this one. By Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 27, 2023 12:21PM EST Rick Astley is no stranger to love and, now, the courtroom. On Thursday, the "Never Gonna Give You Up" singer sued rapper Yung Gravy over his 2022 track "Betty (Get Money)," claiming that the song — which heavily interpolates Astley's now meme-ified hit — violates both federal trademark law and Astley's right of publicity by mimicking his voice without his consent. In legal documents obtained by EW, Astley's lawyers allege that Gravy, real name Matthew Hauri, "flagrantly impersonated" Astley's voice on the song and "falsely stated he endorsed them with no request, forewarning, or remorse," which has caused the '80s crooner "immense damage." Rick Astley is suing Yung Gravy over his song 'Betty (Get Money).'. Paras Griffin/Getty Images; Theo Wargo/Getty Images "In an effort to capitalize off of the immense popularity and goodwill of Mr. Astley, Defendants recorded and released the song 'Betty (Get Money)' which interpolates 'Never Gonna Give You Up' and conspired to include a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation of Mr. Astley's voice throughout the song," the lawsuit read. "The imitation of Mr. Astley's voice was so successful the public believed it was actually Mr. Astley singing and/or a direct sample (digital lifting of the actual sounds of Mr. Astley's voice from the sound recording) of 'Never Gonna Give You Up.'" While Gravy and his team were allegedly given clearance to interpolate the music and lyrics of "Never Gonna Give You Up," the lawsuit claims that they were "unable to obtain a license for a sample," meaning they couldn't use Astley's actual voice. Instead, it alleges that Gravy hired Nick "Popnick" Seeley to recreate Astley's "distinctive voice" for "Betty (Get Money)" and, by doing so without his permission, violated Astley's right to publicity. "A license to use the original underlying musical composition does not authorize the stealing of the artist's voice in the original recording," Astley's lawyers wrote. "So, instead, they resorted to theft of Mr. Astley's voice without a license and without agreement." Alongside its claims, the filing cited a Billboard interview in which Gravy said that he "basically remade" the '80s hit to use as a sample "because it makes it easier legally." It also references one of Seeley's Instagram videos where he says that he wants the Astley imitation to "sound identical to the original recording." In addition to the publicity violations, the filing also claims that Gravy broke federal trademark law and created "further consumer confusion" by "fraudulently and publicly" saying that Astley was a fan and supportive of the song. His lawyers added, "These statements were all false." EW has reached out to reps for Yung Gravy, but did not immediately hear back. Released in June, "Betty (Get Money)" has become one of Gravy's biggest hits. The song cracked the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and has gone on to become a frequently used sound on TikTok. Astley is seeking damages and demands a trial by jury. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Rick Astley: How the '80s star rolled back into the spotlight Watch New Kids on the Block, Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, and Rick Astley unite to spoof classic music videos Rick Astley returns with 50, first album in a decade