Rappers GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and Soulja Boy copied music from the 2008 song “Me & My Goons,” according to a lawsuit filed by a group of composers and songwriters.
Soulja Boy’s 2010 song “Pretty Boy Swag,” which was sampled by the other three rappers in the 2024 songs “Wanna Be” and “Wanna Be Remix,” incorporates “substantial elements” from “Me & My Goons,” including the melody, rhythm, and lyrics, according to the complaint filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California. Universal Music Group Inc. and Interscope Records Inc. are also named among the ten defendants.
Plaintiffs Algernod Lanier Washington, Ronell Levatte, Brandon Crear, and Alexander Martin, along with the music publisher World Music Group International Inc., said they contacted the defendants about the alleged infringement, but no corrective action has been taken.
The infringing activity has cost the plaintiffs income and royalties, damaged their reputation, and diluted the value of the copyrighted song, the complaint said.
The suit asserts claims of direct, contributory, and vicarious copyright infringement.
Universal Music Group didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The artist defendants couldn’t immediately be reached for a request for comment.
Mosley and Associates, Sidney A. Robbins of Atlanta, and Nathan Olken of Plantation, Florida, represent the plaintiffs.
The case is Washington v. Woods, C.D. Cal., No. 2:24-cv-09595, complaint filed 11/6/24.
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