Lizzo Sued For Royalties By Brothers Who Claim They Co-Wrote ‘Truth Hurts’

February 29, 2020 by C.J. in Music with 0 Comments

Lizzo, Justin and Jeremiah Raisen

Lizzo Sued For Royalties By Brothers Who Claim They Co-Wrote ‘Truth Hurts’

As “Truth Hurts” rose to success, so did the accusations that Lizzo stole the Grammy-Award winning song.

Back in October, brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen accused Lizzo of not crediting them for the lyrics they said they wrote for her. They wrote in an Instagram post that has since been deleted,

“On April 11th, 2017, we wrote a song called “Healthy” w/ Lizzo, Jesse St John, and Yves Rothman at our studio. “I just took a DNA test turns out I’m 100% that bitch” was taken from “Healthy” and used in “Truth Hurts”.”

“We were never contacted about being credited for the use of the parts of “Healthy” (melody, lyrics, and chords) that appear in “Truth Hurts”.

“After reaching out to Ricky Reed and Lizzo’s team about fixing it, we put the song in dispute in 2017 when it came out. We’ve tried to sort this out quietly for the last two years, only asking for 5% each but were shutdown every time. Coming forward publicly to family, friends, artists, and colleagues seems to be the only way at this point in relieving some of our emotional distress caused by this.”

“The last thing we want to do is throw any negativity toward Lizzo’s momentum and movement as a cultural figure. If we believe in what she’s preaching, believing in ourselves & our own voices is something we thought she’d understand.”

Lizzo then sued the brothers and another writer, stating that their allegations had no grounds, and announced that she would credit the woman who initially tweeted the infamous DNA test lyrics, reportedly sparking the inspiration behind the song. She denied that the Raisen brothers penned any part of the song.

Now, the Raisens have taken legal action of their own. They sued and are requesting credits and royalties of the song concerning the “DNA test” portion of the lyrics. They allege that if it weren’t for them,

“Lizzo would never have collected her Grammy Award.”

The song won best solo pop performance this year.

They also included screenshots from Ricky Reed, the producer of the song, where he allegedly acknowledges the Raisen brothers’ involvement. Ricky Reed allegedly text that he wanted their issues “resolved.”

“[Lizzo is] a talented musician and performer who currently enjoys immense popularity based on a hit song that she did not write alone…”

He added that if the Raisens lose, it

“would make it impossible for working musicians to be confident that they will be properly credited for their work if they get into a studio and create songs with powerful artists.”

What are your thoughts on Lizzo being sued? Tell us in the comments.