R&B singer Chris Brown has reached a “settlement in principle” with a lyricist who claimed he was cut out of millions in revenues from Brown’s hit songs “Sensational” and “Monalisa,” according to a new court filing.
In a notice of settlement obtained by Rolling Stone, the plaintiff, Steve Chokpelle, said the agreement would resolve all of his claims against Brown and Universal Music Group, effectively removing them from the royalties lawsuit. The terms were not disclosed, and lawyers for the parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“The parties have reached a settlement in principle that will resolve plaintiff’s claims against defendants, as well as codefendant Chris Brown, in their entirety,” the new filings reads. “The settlement will bring an end to this matter as it pertains to defendants and Brown.”
Chokpelle filed his underlying complaint in February, claiming he was at Brown’s Los Angeles home with fellow musician Sean Kingston in 2020 when Brown allegedly asked him to compose lyrics for a 2021 track titled “Monalisa.” A “Monalisa” remix from Nigerian musicians Lojay and Sarz that featured Brown would eventually peak at Number Eight on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.
In his complaint, Chokpelle also alleged he penned the lyrics for the follow-up track “Sensational.” He claimed that after Brown heard a demo, he decided to record the song himself. According to Chokpelle, Brown later mixed and mastered his own version featuring Lojay, which landed on Brown’s 2023 album 11:11. The track, which listed Kingston and Lojay as co-authors, climbed to Number One on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and peaked at 71 on the Hot 100. The lawsuit alleged “Sensational” generated more than $1 million in revenue.
Chokpelle claimed Brown deprived him of proper credit for the songs and “his properly entitled compensation flowing from his role as author/owner of the lyrics.” He asked for a court order declaring him an author and copyright owner of the two songs and sought damages from Brown, Kingston, and Universal Music, among others.
“Defendants sustained a tremendous benefit, and shall continue to receive tremendous benefit, by earning millions in revenues, acclaim, accolades, and goodwill, from the commercial exploitation of ‘Monalisa’ and ‘Sensational,’” the 13-page lawsuit said. It claimed Brown and the other defendants were “unjustly enriched” while Chokpelle received “no revenues whatsoever.”
In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed in March, Brown and his lawyers pointed out that “Monalisa” was released and distributed by third parties. They also said the statute of limitations for copyright ownership claims is three years, so the filing was too late. The judge had not yet ruled on the motion when the notice of settlement was filed on Monday.
The notice made clear that Chokpelle is still pursuing his related claims against Kingston, who has not yet answered the complaint. Kingston is now in prison serving a 42-month sentence after he was convicted of defrauding multiple vendors out of more than $1 million in luxury items ranging from high-end watches to a bulletproof Cadillac Escalade.
