Madonna has never been one to shy away from a confrontation or controversy. And this week, the Queen of Pop did not hold back from criticizing Canadian rapper Tory Lanez, who she claims ripped off her 1984 single “Into The Groove.”
The song Madonna has taken umbrage with is Lanez’s “Pluto’s Last Comet,” a single off his ’80s-inspired album, Alone At Prom, released earlier this month. The similarities between the two songs are not exactly subtle, but that also doesn’t seem unintentional?
At any rate, it’s unclear whether Lanez, who is currently signed to his One Umbrella Records label, got permission to sample the song from Warner Music Group, which currently owns Madonna’s entire catalog. But in either case, it would appear that Madonna herself didn’t have a say in the matter.
On one of Lanez’s recent Instagram posts, the pop star made her feelings clear in a comment. “Read your messages [for] illegal use of my song get into the groove,” she wrote, which has been captured in screenshots for posterity.
This isn’t the first time, and probably won’t be the last, that Madonna has accused another recording artist of plundering her music. For years, she had an ongoing feud with Lady Gaga over her 2011 pop anthem “Born This Way,” which had unmistakable similarities to Madonna’s 1989 single “Express Yourself.”
“It feels reductive,” Madonna said of the song, during a 2012 interview with ABC News. When asked by host Cynthia McFadden whether that was a good thing, Madonna simply replied, “Look it up,” and then smirked and fittingly took a sip of her tea.
Lanez has yet to comment on Madonna’s accusation.