Rapper Blakk Soul Sues Playboi Carti

Born Jordan Terrell Carter in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 13, 1996, Playboi Carti is a well-known American rapper, singer, and composer.

He is renowned for his unique musical style, which features repeating tunes, minimalist beats, and a strongly autotuned vocal delivery.

His ability to blend punk, experimental sounds, and trap into music has contributed to his rise to prominence.

With the release of his mixtape “Playboi Carti,” which included his distinctive “baby voice” flow and a novel, experimental approach to production, Carti gained fame in 2015.

His early work with artists like Pi’erre Bourne influenced his sound by combining melodic, atmospheric beats with powerful 808s.

Carti’s self-titled debut album, “Playboi Carti”, was released in 2017 and debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 chart, indicating its commercial success.

Die Lit (2018), Carti’s follow-up album, expanded the possibilities of his sound even more demonstrating a more polished approach to his production and including cameos from well-known musicians like Nicki Minaj and Lil Uzi Vert.

The Current Lawsuit

John Mercer Jr., a vocalist, better known as, Blakk Soul, has filed a lawsuit against Playboi Carti on January 24 concerning the 2017 song “Kelly K.”

Soul was featured on the song and claims that he wasn’t properly compensated by the rapper for a song that has kept accumulating streams.

Over 8 million people have viewed “Kelly K” on YouTube, and the song has had 55 million Spotify plays.

Many people considered the mixtape in which “Kelly K” was featured, to be Playboi Carti’s artistic and commercial breakthrough.

According to Blakk Soul, he signed a contract with Carti and Cash Carti Music LLC not long after working with Carti on “Kelly K,” stating he would receive 5% of the song’s ownership but is yet to receive a dime.

Mr Mercer’s legal team issued a statement saying “Despite the commercial success of the song and the album, Mr. Mercer had yet to be compensated for his contributions to the song. And has yet to receive a single dollar.”

The copyright lawsuit names Playboi Carti (legal name Jordan Carter), Cash Carti Music, Interscope, and Universal Music Group as defendants.

Mercer released his first album under the name Blakk Soul in 2020, although the singer, songwriter, and recording engineer was recognized in the music industry for years prior.

His recognition was due to having collaborated with such musicians as Dr. Dre, Macklemore, Anderson .Paak, and Justin Timberlake.