Chris Brown is facing lawsuit from from a co-writer on some of his major hits.
Steve Chokpel, co-writer on Chris Brown‘s “Sensational” and “Mona Lisa,” is accusing the singer of failing to pay him royalties for the songs that, he says, generated millions.
Chokpel subsequently filed a federal lawsuit with in New York alleging that he was never paid his share of the proceeds.
As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the lawsuit alleges that the songs generated significant revenue across streaming platforms, radio airplay, and international markets.
In court documents, Chokpel claims that he wrote the lyrics for the song “Monalisa” in 2020 during a studio session with Brown and Sean Kingston in California, but that despite the song’s great success, which reached number eight on Billboard’s US Afrobeats chart, he received no royalties or financial compensation.
Chokpelle also alleges that he wrote the lyrics for “Sensational” in 2021, and claims that after Brown heard a demo of the song he decided to cut it himself.
The track later became a standout hit, dominating Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and reportedly bringing in more than $1 million in revenue.
As a result, Chokpel is now seeking recognition as an author and co-owner of the copyrights, along with at least $1 million in damages.
Brown is being accused in the filing as depriving Chokpelle of proper credit, and withholding “his properly entitled compensation flowing from his role as author/owner of the lyrics”.
In the claim, Chokpelle seeks for Brown to list him as an author and copyright owner for the two tracks. He is also seeing damages from Brown and Kingston, as well as Universal Music Publishing Group and Sony Music Entertainment.
Brown’s legal representatives have not yet commented on the allegations.