NLE Choppa is under fire after a lawsuit was filed against him in California Central District Court last week (June 24). An artist named Kilo Ali — born Andrell Rodgers — is accusing NLE Choppa of stealing the chorus from his 1997 track “Love in Ya Mouth” to use for 2020’s “Make Em Say.”
Kilo Ali claims to be a “critically-acclaimed rapper” and believes NLE Choppa’s Top Shotta cut’s “flow and pitch” in the post-chorus is “substantially similar” to that of “Love in Ya Mouth.” Ali feels his song was illegally sampled and is suing for damages in all forms of profit from the Memphis rapper’s track.
“Further, the lyrics of the chorus and post-chorus of the Infringing Work resemble the lyrics of the chorus of the Original Work in word, sound, and meaning, which invoke the heart of the Original Work,” the legal filing reads.
Kilo Ali recorded “Love in Ya Mouth” with Atlanta legend Big Boi, who is featured on the track, in 1997 for Interscope Records, which filed to copyright the song in 1998.
In addition to NLE Choppa, Warner Music Group, Senior VP of A&R Norva Denton, NLE Choppa Entertainment and more are all named in the suit.
Check out the lawsuit in full here and listen to both tracks and see if there are any similarities below.