US rapper NLE Choppa has been hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over the track, Who TF Up In My Trap, from his 2020 album, Top Shotta.
In a complaint filed with the US District Court for the Central District of California on Tuesday (October 3), West Coast rapper Rodney-O alleged that Who TF Up In My Trap infringes on the copyright of the 1987 rap track Everlasting Bass.
“The composition of [Who TF Up In My Trap] substantially comprises the composition of Everlasting Bass and is either a verbatim copy or encompassed and embodied in an audio sample of Everlasting Bass found in the infringing work,” states the complaint, obtained by MBW, and which can be read in full here
“Defendants at no point sought to obtain authorization from plaintiff to use the Everlasting Bass composition in connection with the infringing work.”
Along with NLE Choppa, whose given name is Bryson Potts, the lawsuit names as defendants Sony Music Publishing and a number of writers and producers credited on Who TF Is Up In My Trap, including Javar Rockamore, Patric Houston (aka Project Pat), Jordan Houston (aka Juicy J), Paul Beauregard (aka DJ Paul), Theodore Thomas (aka Stonii), Robert Reese (aka Bobby Keyz) and Archie Dean (aka ISTHATYOUARCHIE).
MBW reached out to Sony Music Publishing for a comment.
Rodney-O, whose given name is Rodney Oliver, was part of the rap trio Rodney-O & Joe Cooley, which had its heyday in the late 1980s and 1990s, touring with such acts as N.W.A., Kool Moe Dee and Grandmaster Flash.
Their 1987 track Everlasting Bass was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 20 greatest “pre-Straight Outta Compton” West Coast Rap Songs.
As of last count, Everlasting Bass had 5.2 million views on YouTube and more than 1.7 million streams on Spotify.
NLE Choppa’s Who TF Up In My Trap is the seventh track on the 2020 album Top Shotta. It has garnered 7.3 million streams on Spotify and 1.1 million views on its YouTube video.
Notably, the song’s writing credits listed on Spotify include all three members of Rodney-O & Joe Cooley – Rodney Oliver, Jeffrey Page and Joe Cooley.
The new lawsuit from Rodney-O seeks an unspecified amount in damages, along with profits from Who TF Up In My Trap.
It was filed on behalf of Rodney-O by Doniger Burroughs, a California law firm with a long track record of involvement in high-profile copyright cases.
The firm was involved in a closely-watched 2021 design copyright lawsuit involving retail giant H&M., and also represented photographer Dana Lixenberg in her copyright case against Spotify and All Media Network.
Today’s news follows a previous lawsuit in which the rapper was hit with a copyright claim in 2021 over Make Em Say, the sixth single released from Top Shotta. Atlanta rapper Kilo Ali (aka Andrell Rodgers) alleged that the vocal chorus from Ali’s own song, Love in Ya Mouth, was ripped off to create the melody in Make Em Say.
In June 2023, the case was dismissed, “with prejudice” by Judge George H. Wu of the US District Court for the Central District of California.Music Business Worldwide
