A lawsuit has been filed against Travis Scott, Metro Boomin, Sony Music Publishing, and others for allegedly using a sample without permission on the album Utopia.
The legal action was initiated by Dion Norman and Derrick Ordogne, the original creators of the track “Bitches (Reply),” which has been sampled by numerous artists over the years within the Rap/Hip Hop genre.
The lawsuit highlights the unauthorized use of the sample in songs by artists such as Cardi B, Lil Wayne, Kid Cudi, Beyoncé, and Diddy. Norman and Ordogne claim that their work was used without clearance in Travis Scott’s songs “Stargazing” and “Til Further Notice” from the Utopia album.
Despite the popularity of “Til Further Notice,” with close to 100 million streams on Spotify, the plaintiffs allege that the sample was manipulated and used without permission, specifically referencing the lyric “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” The defendants were reportedly contacted after the release of the album for sample clearance but failed to resolve the issue.
The legal dispute involves James Blake, who is credited as a producer and songwriter on the relevant songs, as well as Metro Boomin, who contributed to the production and songwriting. While the defendants admitted to using the sample without authorization, the situation has not been resolved amicably.