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12 February 2020CopyrightRory O'Neill

Lil Nas X rebukes ‘Rodeo’ copying claims

Grammy-winning rapper Lil Nas X has hit back at claims that he ripped off two Atlanta music producers’ beat for his song “Rodeo”.

In court documents filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York last week, Lil Nas X, born Montero Hill, said “Rodeo” was created “independently from and without knowledge of the allegedly infringed work”.

Don Lee and Glen DeMeritt sued the rapper in October last year, alleging that “Rodeo” copied elements of their trap-style beat “gwenXdonlee4-142”.

The beat was used, with Lee and DeMeritt’s consent, in the song “Broad Day” by fellow Atlanta musicians PuertoReefa and Sakrite Duexe.

According to the original complaint, “Rodeo” is “substantially similar” to “Broad Day” and copies elements such as the chord progression and “triplet figures in the hi-hats”.

“These and other similarities are readily apparent and cognisable to both trained and untrained listeners,” the lawsuit said.

In a standard reply brief, Lil Nas X signalled his intention to fight the claims, saying that he “denies substantial similarity between the works at issue, denies infringing the claimed copyright, and denies knowledge or information sufficient to form a belief as to the truth or falsity of the remaining allegations”.

Rapper Cardi B, who featured on “Rodeo” and was also named as a defendant in the suit, issued a similarly standard reply brief.

The original complaint came just as pop star Katy Perry declared that she had been the victim of a “miscarriage of justice” in a verdict that her lawyers said lowered the bar for music copyright infringement.

Perry was found to have infringed a Christian rapper’s copyright in her 2013 hit “Dark Horse”, and ordered to pay $2.7 million in damages.

According to Perry, the verdict came despite rapper Marcus Gray providing “no evidence whatsoever” for many of his claims. Perry has appealed the ruling.

Lil Nas X himself is facing a separate copyright suit, this time involving his song “Carry On”.

Music publisher The Music Force is seeking $25m in damages from the rapper over allegations that he sampled an earlier song by singer Bobby Caldwell, also titled “Carry On”, without authorisation.

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More on this story

Copyright
31 July 2019   American artist Lil Nas X is being sued for $25 million by a music publisher, The Music Force, which alleges that his song “Carry On” infringes its copyright.
Copyright
7 October 2019   US rapper Lil Nas X must fend off another copyright lawsuit, months after he was sued over alleged infringement in his song “Carry On”.
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