“It’s all sorted now”: Pet Shop Boys open up about Drake’s unauthorized sampling of “West End Girls”

Drake can cross off the Pet Shop Boys from his list of “Beefs of 2024,” after a new interview with the NME revealed that everything between the musicians regarding an unauthorised sample has been “all sorted now.”

Drake sampled the iconic “West End Girls” for the track “All The Parties” from his long-awaited album “For All The Dogs,” where the Canadian rapper t sings: “East End boy and West End girls” with a melody mirroring the Pet Shop Boys’ song, in which they sing: “In a West End town, a dead end world/ The East End boys and West End girls.”

Having initially written on X (formerly Twitter) in 2023 “was 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 duo have since sorted out the issue with the Drake.

“It’s all sorted now,” Neil Tennant told the NME, “but I must say I thought it was a really nice bit in the record. He sang it very well [...] I don’t think people regard it as a rap record, even though we did. If you read a book about rap, no one will ever mention ‘West End Girls’ in it’”.

Tennant also discussed what he felt were the differences between modern rap and that of the golden era, a period for rap music Tennant feels an affinity to. “Modern rap takes up a lot more words, whereas the classic early ‘80s Grandmaster Flash style, which is the school I belong to, doesn’t take up as many words.” 

“Also, I like the rhythm of it because you can understand the lyrics.”

Pet Shop Boys are set to release their 15th studio album, ‘Nonetheless’, which will be released on April 26 2024