Travis Scott is no stranger to legal trouble, whether it's over his real-life antics and moves or the music that has driven his superstardom. According to Billboard, though, he can knock one legal battle off his list, as plaintiffs in a lengthy copyright case over tracks on his ASTROWORLD and UTOPIA albums have dropped their pursuit.
Songwriters Dion Norman and Derrick Ordogne reportedly dismissed their claims against the Houston rapper and Sony Music voluntarily on Friday (October 9). The court filing reportedly does not indicate whether or not the two parties reached a settlement. As such, without comment from either side, it's unknown exactly what happened here or why the plaintiffs dropped their case.
For those unaware, Norman and Ordogne co-wrote the 1992 DJ Jimi song "B***hes (Reply)." They filed their lawsuit in early 2024 and alleged Scott did not clear a sample of the phrase "Alright" used on ASTROWORLD's "STARGAZING" in 2018 and UTOPIA's "TIL FURTHER NOTICE" in 2023. Per the lawsuit, the songs took the "Alright" repetition without permission, contrasting with legal sample agreements for Kid Cudi's "Girls," Cardi B's "Bickenhead," and Diddy's "Need Somebody."
Legal representatives for Scott and Sony claimed the songwriters cannot copyright the "Alright" repetition due to its simple nature. They reportedly argued that "trite" and "cliched" repetitions of such a common phrase "lack even the minimal creativity" to comply with United States law's standards for copyright protection of original works.
Metro Boomin and James Blake, collaborators on "TIL FURTHER NOTICE," were once defendants in this case. But the plaintiffs dropped the producers from the proceedings earlier this year.
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Travis Scott's ASTROWORLD Sample Dispute
Elsewhere, Travis Scott is leading the charge for GTA VI, as he dropped the "RHYNO" single for its soundtrack. He also teased a strip club collaboration for the video game, adding to a pretty wild and extensive extracurricular resumé.
But what many hip-hop fans are most curious about is Travis Scott's burgeoning beef with none other than Yeat. The ADL artists dissed La Flame on his track "ON NOTHING," which led to a lot of unanswered questions about whether or not Travis will respond. For now, it seems like he's ignoring the smoke.
