Plies has filed a lawsuit alleging that Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla jacked one of his songs for their hit collaboration, “Wanna Be,” which has emerged as one of the more popular songs of the latter half of 2024.
According to court documents, the 48-year-old rapper claims that his 2008 track “Me & My Goons” originated an “infrared countdown beat” that these artists later used in their songs without permission.
Other defendants in the lawsuit, filed in a California Federal Court, include Megan’s Hot Girl Productions, Universal Music Group, Collective Music Group and Interscope, as well as Soulja Boy‘s former label, Collipark Productions. Reps for the defendants did not immediately return requests for comment.
“The Plaintiffs never granted any license, permission, or authorization to the Defendants to use any portion of the Copyrighted Material in [“Wanna Be”], nor [“Wanna Be (Remix)”],” the lawsuit claims.
“After being made aware of the infringement through communications from Plaintiffs’ legal representatives, the Defendants have failed to take corrective actions, including offering compensation, credit, or otherwise resolving the matter. The Defendants’ continued use and exploitation of the Infringing Work constitutes a knowing and intentional violation of the Plaintiffs’ copyright.”
The suit reflects an ongoing debate in Hip-Hop and the broader music industry over the limits of creative influence and the boundaries of intellectual property rights.
