Beyoncé faces a US$20 million (NZ$27m) lawsuit over claims the megastar used the voice of a dead YouTube star in her song 'Formation' without permission.
The New Orleans estate of Anthony Barre - whose Youtube name was Messy Mya - filed a lawsuit on Tuesday (NZ time) in the Eastern District of Louisiana for copyright infringement.
The complaint alleges Mr Barre's estate received no payment or acknowledgement for the user of his voice or words.
The Youtuber's voice can be heard at the beginning of the song, saying: "What happened at the New Orleans...B***h, I'm back by popular demand". Another line is also used before the chorus: "Oh, yas I like that... I did not come to play with you h**s*, I came to slay b***h."
When 'Formation' was released, fans said the sampling of Barre's voice was a tribute to the late YouTube star, who was shot and killed in 2010 after leaving a baby shower for his pregnant girlfriend.
But NBC reported Barre's estate claimed his words were fundamental to the New Orleans-themed 'Formation' video and song.
The lawsuit alleges the sample uses the "voice, performance and words from his copyrighted works to create the tone, mood, setting and location of the New Orleans-themed 'Formation' video and audio recordings".
Beyoncé performed the 'Formation' during the 2016 Super Bowl, and the music video has been viewed more than 20 million times online.
Newshub.