Sophia Michaels
“7 Rings” is one of Ariana Grande’s biggest hits. Although the song earned her lots of radio play and streams, it appears to be causing her some trouble. Grande is now being sued over the iconic track.
Artist says Ariana Grande’s producer stole his song to create ‘7 Rings’
Fox News reports a rapper named Josh Stone, who goes by the stage name DOT, is suing Grande for copyright infringement. More specifically, Stone’s lawsuit says “7 Rings” lifts elements from Stone’s song “You Need It I Got It.” “You Need It I Got It” features the chorus, “You need it / I got it / You Want It / I Got It,” while “7 Rings” has the chorus “I want it / I got it / I want it / I got it.”
According to CNN, Stone said he played “You Need It I Got It” for Thomas Lee Brown, a producer who has worked with Grande on multiple occasions. Stone said Brown enjoyed the track.
According to the New York Daily News, the lawsuit says, “Josh Stone believed that Defendant Brown was interested in collaborating with him … instead, upon information and belief, Brown simply took ‘I Got It’ to Ariana Grande and the other defendants and later repackaged ‘I Got It’ as ‘7 Rings.’”
Per CNN, the lawsuit says “7 Rings” “is a forgery — plagiarized from plaintiff Josh Stone who wrote, recorded and published the nearly identical original work ‘You Need It I Got It’…approximately two years earlier.”
Why does Josh Stone think ‘7 Rings’ is similar to his song?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D4OOCczsyg?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]
Fox News reports the lawsuit says “Literally, every single one of the 39 respective notes of ‘7 Rings’ is identical with the 39 notes of ‘I Got It’ from a metrical placement perspective. Said another way, the rhythm and placement of the notes and lyrics are identical.”
According to CNN, the suit also says “comparative analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook, rhythmic structure, metrical placement and narrative context — by musicology experts or everyday listeners alike — demonstrates clearly and convincingly that 7 RINGS copied I GOT IT.”
According to Deseret News, Stone’s lawyer, Tamir Young, said, “This lawsuit is about protecting artists and their work. Josh’s song was taken and used without his consent, without his knowledge and without a license. Many people made a LOT of money on Josh’s work. And that is wrong.”
Young continued, “It is copyright infringement. Laws were specifically created to protect artists like Josh from copyright infringement. Those laws were violated and Josh has rights that we are now exercising to right that wrong.”
What impact could this lawsuit have on ‘7 Rings’?
The New York Daily News said the court papers read, “This deception negatively impacts [Stone] because he is not receiving the credit due for the success experienced by ‘7 Rings.’” The lawsuit also says Stone “is not able to further his career aspirations in the music industry.”
Brown and Grande have yet to make a statement on this lawsuit. According to the New York Daily News, Stone is seeking undisclosed damages and “destruction [of] all copies of ‘7 Rings’ in [the] possession or under [the] control” of Grande and the other defendants. If it’s successful, this lawsuit could have a major impact on Grande’s career.
Also see: Ariana Grande Covered ’60s Classic ‘You Don’t Own Me’
Written by: CheatSheet
