R&B singer Chris Brown is facing a lawsuit from songwriter Steve Chokpelle, who claims he was denied credit and compensation for lyrics he wrote for the tracks 'Monalisa' and 'Sensational.' The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, accuses Brown and others of profiting millions from the songs without sharing revenues with Chokpelle. Chokpelle seeks to be declared a co-author and copyright owner.
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, songwriter Steve Chokpelle alleges that Chris Brown failed to credit or compensate him for lyrics contributed to two popular tracks: 'Monalisa' and 'Sensational.'
According to the complaint, the collaboration began in 2020 at Brown's Los Angeles home, where Brown, in the presence of Sean Kingston, asked Chokpelle to compose lyrics for 'Monalisa.' The song was released on June 4, 2021. A 2022 remix featuring Brown, Nigerian musicians Lojay and Sarz, reached Number Eight on Billboard's U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart.
Chokpelle further claims he wrote the lyrics for 'Sensational' in 2021. After hearing a demo, Brown reportedly decided to record his own version, which featured Lojay and appeared on Brown's 2023 album 11:11. The track, crediting Kingston and Lojay as co-authors, topped Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and peaked at Number 71 on the Hot 100. The lawsuit states that 'Sensational' has generated more than $1 million in revenue, yet Chokpelle received no payment.
Chokpelle accuses Brown of depriving him of proper credit and compensation as the author and owner of the lyrics. He is seeking a court declaration of his authorship and copyright ownership, along with damages from Brown, Kingston, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group.
The 13-page filing, prepared by Chokpelle and his lawyer Simon J. Rosen, reads: “Defendants sustained a tremendous benefit, and shall continue to receive tremendous benefit, by earnings millions in revenues, acclaim, accolades, and goodwill, from the commercial exploitation of ‘Monalisa’ and ‘Sensational.’” It demands a full accounting of all revenues from the songs since inception.
Representatives for the defendants could not be reached for comment.
