Chris Brown is facing fresh legal heat after a songwriter filed a lawsuit accusing the R&B celebrity of reducing him out of each credit score and compensation on two hit information, “Monalisa” and “Sensational.”

the lawsuit

According to a lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal courtroom, songwriter Steve Chokpelle claims the state of affairs dates again to 2020. He was allegedly invited to Brown’s Los Angeles dwelling with Sean Kingston. Chokpelle says Brown asked him to write down lyrics for “Monalisa.” The tune was initially launched by Afrobeats artists, Lojay & Sarz, in 2021 with Brown becoming a member of them on the remix a 12 months later. With Brown’s addition, allegedly written by Chokpelle, the tune peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.

Chokpelle additional alleges that he additionally wrote the lyrics for Chris Brown’s hit “Sensational” in 2021. After listening to the demo, he claims Brown determined to file the tune himself. The closing model that includes Davido and Lojay appeared because the lead single on Brown’s 2023 album 11:11. The tune is now platinum. It additionally went on to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and peaked at No. 71 on the Hot 100.

The lawsuit alleges “Sensational” generated over $1 million in income, but Chokpelle says he by no means obtained fee or correct credit score. He’s now searching for a courtroom declaration naming him an creator and copyright proprietor of each songs, together with compensation from Brown, Kingston, Sony music Entertainment, and Universal music Publishing Group.

As of now, Brown has not publicly responded to the allegations.