Plies drops copyright lawsuit against major artists
The rapper sued Soulja Boy, GloRilla, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion last year
Rapper Plies has all of a sudden taken a U-turn in his legal battle.
Last November, the 48-year-old sued Soulja Boy, GloRilla, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion for allegedly sampling his 2008 song Me & My Goons.
The artists allegedly used the song without Plies' permission in the track Wanna Be.
GloRilla and Megan Thee Stallion’s Wanna Be was released in April 2024, while the remix by Cardi B was dropped in May. The track also included a sample of Soulja Boy’s 2010 song Pretty Boy Swag.
In a statement last year, Plies’ lawyers said, “Defendant Soulja Boy authorized Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla to sample [his song], [Wanna Be] incorporates substantial elements of the copyrighted material underlying Me & My Goons, without authorization from plaintiffs.”
According to Billboard, Plies voluntarily dropped the copyright lawsuit on Friday. The rapper dismissed the lawsuit “without prejudice,” meaning the case is officially closed but Plies retains the right to refile it in the future if he chooses to.
Ironically, accusations where an artist claims that another artist’s legal sample features their unlicensed sample are becoming more and more common.
Although samples in major releases are always officially cleared, identifying copyrighted content within the sampled tracks can sometimes be more challenging.