Hip hop heavyweights Nicki Minaj and Mike WiLL Made-It are in hot water. Atlanta-based producer Julius Johnson has accused the duo of stealing his beat for their 2014 chartbuster “I Lied.” The track initially served as a standout cut from the top Barb’s critically acclaimed The Pinkprint album.
A TMZ report revealed on Monday (June 26) that Johnson alleges the song’s production bears an uncanny resemblance to his piece “onmysleeve” shared on YouTube in 2011. In the lawsuit, he maps out a potential pathway for the supposed theft.
Interestingly, Johnson recounts a hard drive carrying the beat was stolen during a studio session at the Art Institute of Atlanta in 2013. He claims that around the same time, Minaj and Mike WiLL’s associates were at the school. Johnson believes this could have led to his music falling into their hands.
While the lawsuit seeks a share of the profits reaped from the record, it also calls for a halt in the song’s usage unless credit is given to him.
Sources close to Minaj quickly dismissed the allegations. “Clearly, Nicki is a lyricist, so the claim in terms of production will obviously have to be addressed by the applicable parties,” one insider told TMZ. She also refuted the pretense on Twitter by stating, “Do I make beats? [You’re] first on the list, dummy.”
Do I make beats? You first on the list dummy 🥳 https://t.co/IHsdGQCrSG
— Nicki Minaj (@NICKIMINAJ) June 27, 2023
This isn’t the only legal entanglement for the Queens rapper. Earlier, a jewelry store reportedly accused her of damaging loaned items. Located in West Hollywood, Roseark stated Minaj and her team returned 66 items late and in a defective state. The rapper was billed $26,239.50 plus interest, a sum she allegedly hasn’t settled.
Minaj’s lawyer, Jordan Siev, responded, “We have not been presented with any evidence that any of the jewelry at issue was damaged by Nicki.” He also stated that the lawsuit seemed to be “an ordinary insurance claim by the jeweler designed to generate publicity for itself and extract a payment to which it is not entitled.”
Most recently, the rap superstar and her husband Keith Petty have been requested to move out of their $20 million mansion in the Hidden Hills. Her neighbors started a petition to get the couple removed over the latter’s ongoing legal trouble and status as a sex offender.
While Minaj has yet to comment on either the petition or Roseark incident, she’s standing her ground against Johnson’s accusations. In the meantime, listen to “I Lied” below.
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