French Montana Sued: Rapper Used Unauthorized and Unpaid Sample For His Song 'Blue Chills'

Lawsuits are nothing new for rap mogul French Montana; however, his newest legal battle may be the most expensive yet.

Billboard recently reported that the rapper's potentially sampled Skylar Gudasz's "Femme Fatal" track for his song "Blue Chills" without awarding her fair compensation.

Gudasz was allegedly informed that Montana would pay him upfront fees and ongoing royalty payments and give him 50% of the publishing copyright upon using the sample; however, before any agreements could be solidified, the track featuring said sample was released.

The lawsuit states, "Despite repeated promises from defendants .... no signed agreement, fees, royalties, licensing agreements or monies have ever been sent to the plaintiff."

In 2022, Gudasz was introduced to French Montana through a representative specializing in this sort of licensing deal.

Reportedly, it was agreed on by both parties that Montana would offer an upfront payment of $7000 accompanied by royalty splits and publishing copyrights.

It was a surprise to Skyler Gudasz when she first heard her name shouted out in the rap song, as she had not been aware of it prior. That is until French Montana brought up the track during his interview on Apple Music's Rap Life Radio show.

In addition to Montana, a lawsuit was filed against Harry Fraud, his long-term collaborator and producer, and Sony Music Entertainment.

This comes in the heels after the the court granted French Montana a partial victory in a legal dispute related to his 2013 song "Ain't Worried About Nothin'" in April.

A copy of Judge Nancy L. Maldano's 29-page ruling showed that three out of the five issues he had against producer Eddie Lee Richardson were accepted through summary motion.

In 2019, a lawsuit was brought against the "Mopstick" rapper by a songwriter named Richards. This legal dispute was due to the similarities between his copyrighted instrumental track, "Hood Pushin' Weight," and another song.

Conversely, Maldonado refused to conclude that French Montana had not acted willfully in any alleged infringement.

According to the lawsuit, Richardson also asserted that French Montana unlawfully included his lyrics on the track "Ain't Worried About Nothin'," as well as remixes featuring other artists such as Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Lil Wayne, and Miley Cyrus without consent.

In response to the actions of Moroccan-American rapper, Judge Maldonado denied producer Richardon's motion as it was determined that his claim for damages was not due to the recording of "Ain't Worried About Nothin'" on Apple Music since 2013 but as a result of 378 live performances of the song since April 2016. This crucial error was what resulted in her ruling against him.

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