The Pet Shop boys have accused Drake of singing the lyrics to their 1983 hit “West End Girls” in his new track, “All the Parties”, without permission.
In the song, which features on Drake’s new album, For All The Dogs, the “One Dance” rapper sings: “East End boys and West End girls, yeah/ East End boys and West End girls.”
The lyrics mirror the famous refrain to the Pet Shop Boys track, which goes: “In a West End town, a dead end world/ The East End boys and West End girls.”
On Friday (6 October), the day of the album’s release, the Pet Shop Boys tweeted: “Surprising to hear @Drake singing the chorus of ‘West End Girls’ in the track ‘All the Parties’ on his new album. No credit given or permission requested.”
The Independent has contacted Drake’s representatives for comment.
For All The Dogs features artists including SZA, Bad Bunny, 21 Savage, Sexxy Red, Chief keef and many more across its 23-song setlist.
In The Independent’s two-star review, Nadine Smith found that Drake’s eighth studio album “borders on sinister” due to his “outright contempt for women”.
“Drake constantly reminds you of his age by directing his fragilities at women significantly younger than himself,” Smith writes.
“Of course, none of this is really all that surprising – what else can you expect from an adult man who showed off his collection of hundreds of bras thrown to him during live shows?”
Elsewhere on the album, Drake (original name Aubrey Drake Graham), 36, addressed his controversial friendship with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown for the first time.
In 2018, the “God’s Plan” artist raised eyebrows when the then-14-year-old Netflix star revealed that Drake texted her “boy advice”.
On his new track “Another Late Night”, Drake raps the lyrics: “Weirdos in my comments talkin’ ‘bout some Millie Bobby, look / Bring them jokes up to the gang, we get to really flockin’.”
Following the album’s release, Drake made the surprise announcement that he would be taking a one-year hiatus from music.
He revealed that he’s been dealing with the “craziest problems” with his stomach for years and needs time to focus on his health.
