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Miley Cyrus Is Being Sued For $300 Million Over Copyright For 'We Can't Stop'
Jamaican singer Flourgon says the pop star stole his lyrics, cadence and inflection.
Miley Cyrus’ 2103 hit "We Can't Stop" now may cost the singer millions.
A Jamaican singer and songwriter named Flourgon (real name Michael May) is suing Cyrus for $300 for copyright infringement, according to People.
May claims the 25-year-old singer stole the lyrics from his 1988 track “We Run Things.” He points to her lyrics “We run things / Things don’t run we” as being swiped from his lyrics “We run things / Things no run we." He also asserts that Cyrus' track “substantially incorporated” his “vocal melody/rhythm/cadence/inflection.”
He said Cyrus’ song “owes the basis of its chart-topping popularity to and its highly-lucrative success to plaintiff May’s protected, unique, creative and original content," according to Reuters.
In addition to Cyrus, May has also named super producer Mike Will Made It in the suit.
"We Can't Stop" was the lead single from Cyrus' "Bangerz" album. The song introduced the former child star as an edgier, party girl. It has been certified several times platinum as the National Music Publishers' Association shared. Interestingly, the song was intended initially for Rihanna, as MTV News reported, but the singer turned it down.
"When I originally worked on 'We Can't Stop,' we had did it for Rihanna. The idea was more towards Rihanna," Mike Will Made It said. "Rihanna, she heard 'Pour It Up' right away, and she didn't even hear 'We Can't Stop.'"
The song garnered thematic controversy when it came out, as many deemed Cyrus as referencing drugs. Cyrus denied this.
"I have an accent! So when I say 'Miley,' it must sound like 'Molly,' " she told Rolling Stone about the lyric, which appeared to be a reference to "molly" or Ecstasy. "You're not allowed to say Molly on the radio, so it obviously says Miley," she said. "I knew people were gonna wonder what I'm saying in that song."
A rep for Cyrus did not immediately respond to a request for comment from People following news of the copyright lawsuit.
[Photo: Getty Images]
