West Coast rap veteran Rodney-O filed a lawsuit against rising star NLE Choppa for copying his 1988 hit song “Everlasting Bass” on his 2020 track “Who TF Up in My Trap”.
The lawsuit claims that NLE Choppa and other songwriters infringed on Rodney-O’s copyright by using substantial portions of his composition without permission or compensation.
Rodney-O, whose real name is Rodney Oliver, is a West Coast hip-hop pioneer.
He formed the duo Rodney-O and Joe Cooley in the late 1980s. Their song “Everlasting Bass” is considered one of the most influential tracks in the genre. It was recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the top 20 West Coast rap songs, predating “Straight Outta Compton”.
According to the complaint, filed on October 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, NLE Choppa’s song “Who TF Up in My Trap” features a core rhythm that is either a verbatim copy or an audio sample of “Everlasting Bass”. The song was released on NLE Choppa’s debut album Top Shotta, which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200 chart.
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The lawsuit names NLE Choppa, by his birth name Bryson Potts, as well as Sony Music Publishing, LLC, Javar Rockamore, Project Pat, Juicy J, DJ Paul, Stonii, Bobby Keyz, ISTHATYOUARCHIE or ATLAJD and DOES 1-10 as defendants. Rodney-O is seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial. He is also demanding that the defendants stop distributing, performing, or profiting from the infringing work.
This is not the first time that NLE Choppa has been sued for alleged copyright infringement. In June 2021, Atlanta rap legend Kilo Ali filed a lawsuit against him for allegedly borrowing his flow on the track “Make Em Say”.
NLE Choppa has not yet responded to the lawsuit or commented on the allegations.
The 20-year-old rapper from Memphis, Tennessee, rose to fame with his viral single “Shotta Flow” in 2019.
The song was certified platinum by the RIAA and peaked at number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He has since released three mixtapes and two studio albums and has collaborated with artists such as Roddy Ricch, DaBaby, Polo G, and Lil Baby.
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