Lizzo is on the defensive over accusations she jacked lyrics for her chart-topping hit “Truth Hurts.”
Lizzo’s song “Truth Hurts” has become nearly inescapable, showing up everywhere from Netflix movies to Hillary Clinton tweets. The song is powerful and catchy, and part of the reason the rapper/singer has quickly risen to superstardom. There is now a dispute developing, however, over the origin of the song’s first line, “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100 percent that b*tch.”
Songwriters and brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen claim they were involved in writing the line for a demo called “Healthy” early on in Lizzo’s career and were denied credit once aspects of “Healthy” were used to create the hit, “Truth Hurts.”
The official credits behind “Truth Hurts” include Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson, her producer Ricky Reed, a producer named Tele, and Jesse Saint John. The Raisen brothers have decided to go public with their desire to be credited for the song, and in doing so, are presumably making claims on their share of the potentially multimillion-dollar hit.
Cynthia S. Arato, Lizzo’s lawyer, issued a statement firmly denying the claims, saying, “They did not collaborate with Lizzo or anyone else to create this song, and they did not help write any of the material that they now seek to profit from…”
Further complicating the issue of originality and lyrical ownership, the Raisen brothers admit that the phrase in question was taken from a meme, which was inspired by a tweet. The issue of who owns the rights to the phrase would probably never be discussed if it wasn’t for the dollar amount attached to the lyrics.
Lizzo has already applied for a trademark for “100% That B*tch”, and is currently profiting from merchandise featuring the phrase being sold on her website. The Raisen brothers have posted a video that they say proves that “Truth Hurts” was developed from elements of “Healthy.”
