Jermaine Dupri Says Ciara's New Song "I Bet" Sounds Like Usher's "U Got It Bad" Following "Blurred Lines" Lawsuit

Following the verdict in the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit, the Associated Press decided to get producer Jermaine Dupri's take on the matter. Dupri understood both sides, saying he could hear the similarities, but he never thought Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke would end up in court over it. Now he says he needs to go back and review Ciara's new tune "I Bet" because it sounds a lot like Usher's "U Got It Bad."

"Younger producers like myself and Pharrell, we make records that are influenced by other records that are out there," Dupri explained. "That's how hip-hop has always been created -- it has some kind of element of something [from] the past. Or sometimes we just take the entire sample and we give the artist the credit for that sample."

A jury thought differently for "Blurred Lines." Pharrell and Thicke were ordered to pay about $7.4 million to Marvin Gaye's family because their song was deemed a ripoff of the legendary singer's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up." The family even commented on the similarities between Pharrell's monster hit "Happy" and Gaye's tune "Ain't That Peculiar." They claimed plans for legal action were "100 percent false."

Now that there is some precedent set, Dupri, who has produced music for Mariah Carey, Usher and Monica, is re-evaluating a few tunes he helped out on.

"Ciara's new single is a complete ripoff of Usher's 'U Got It Bad,'" Dupri said. "I'm clear on what I made and I'm clear on how music influences people and I'm clear on chord changes and how people move things. ... It might not be as evident as the 'Blurred Lines' situation, but I believe the same thing happened to me."

Dupri, Usher and Brian-Michael Cox, all of whom worked on "U Got It Bad," reached out to Ciara so they could be properly credited on the song.

Check out both songs below.

Tags

Jermaine Dupri, Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke, Ciara, Usher, Marvin Gaye