Chris Brown Faces Lawsuit Over Monalisa and Sensational Songs

Chris Brown (Instagram @chrisbrownofficial)

JAKARTA - Christopher Maurice Brown or better known as Chris Brown has to face legal problems again after being accused of withholding royalties for two hit songs.

The lawsuit was filed by a songwriter named Steve Chokpelle in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday, February 4.

Chokpelle claimed that he was the figure behind the creation of the lyrics of the songs "Monalisa" and "Sensational" which until now is suspected of not having provided him with financial benefits.

In the lawsuit, Chokpelle recounted the beginning of the dispute in 2020. At that time, he claimed to be with Chris Brown and Sean Kingston when he was asked directly by Brown to write the lyrics to "Monalisa", which was then released to the public in June 2021.

Not stopping there, Chokpelle again contributed to writing the lyrics "Sensational". However, after hearing the demo version, Brown allegedly decided to produce the song alone, without involving Chokpelle in the copyright division.

Launching a report from Rolling Stone, "Sensational" which is included in the album "11:11" (2023) was a huge success in the market with revenues reaching more than 1 million US dollars or around Rp. 15.7 billion. The song even briefly topped the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart at position 71 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite being commercially successful, Chokpelle emphasized that he never received a penny from his contribution.

Chokpelle's lawyer, Simon J. Rosen, confirmed that his client was entitled to transparency of the revenue generated by the two songs.

In the lawsuit, Rosen stated that the defendants had reaped huge profits from exploiting his client's work without giving the proper credit.

"The defendants have received enormous profits, and will continue to receive huge profits, generating millions of revenue, praise, awards, and goodwill, from the commercial exploitation of 'Monalisa' and 'Sensational'," wrote Simon J. Rosen in the lawsuit.

Chokpelle is now demanding that his name be listed as the author and legitimate copyright owner of both songs.

In addition to Chris Brown, this lawsuit also dragged the names of Sean Kingston and Universal Music Publishing Group and Sony Music Entertainment as parties considered responsible for the material and immaterial losses he suffered.