SoundCloud rap trailblazer Juice WRLD is being sued by pop-punk band Yellowcard.
The band, who disbanded in 2017, claim that the rapper copied elements of their track ‘Holly Wood Died’ in his song ‘Lucid Dreams’, without permission. Yellowcard is seeking $15 million, and “running royalty and/or ownership share”.
As well as coming for Juice WRLD, Yellowcard have sued ‘Lucid Dreams’ co-writer Taz Taylor, producer Nicholas Mira, publisher BMG Rights Management, record label Grade A Productions, Interscope Records, and others.
“Defendants copied the Original Work without license or consent, and have exploited the subsequent Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording to their collective benefit without regard to Plaintiffs’ rights and to Plaintiffs’ detriment,” the complaint outlines. “The Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording directly misappropriates quantitatively and qualitatively important portions of Plaintiffs’ Original Work in a manner that is easily recognizable to the ordinary observer. The Infringing Work and Infringing Sound Recording are not only substantially similar to the Original Work, but in some places virtually identical.”
Check out: Juice WRLD – ‘Lucid Dreams’
The complaint contains a chart analyzing the two tracks for compositional similarities — nothing shared common elements including hooks, vocal melodies and “melodic idiosyncrasy” in melisma, which Yellowcard have claimed to appear in “parallel position” in both songs. “The high degree of objective similarity between the Original Work and the Infringing Work extends well beyond the possibility of coincidence and could only reasonably be the result of an act of copying.”
To establish access, the lawsuit highlights an interview with Juice WRLD shares his appreciation of Fall Out Boy’s seminal 2005 record, From Under The Cork Tree — which was produced by Neal Avron, who worked on ‘Holly Wood Died’. This is quite possibly the most feeble grasp at straws we’ve ever witnessed, those with tastes refined enough to appreciate From Under The Cork Tree would not waste their time on the lily-livered music of Yellowcard.
Listen: Yellowcard – ‘Holly Wood Died’
The case claims that Juice WRLD expressed his appreciation for the subgenre “emo pop-rock” , which the lawsuit reckons is“the precise genre of Yellowcard’s music”.
‘Lucid Dreams” hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has garnered over 381 million views on YouTube, over 939 million streams on Spotify, and been certified 5x multi-platinum by the RIAA. Yellowcard’s ‘Holly Wood Died’ has not.
Yellowcard announced they were calling it quits in June 2016.
Juice WRLD will be heading around the country next month, catch him at the below tour dates.
Juice WRLD Death Race For Love Australian Tour 2019
Thursday, November 21st
Metro City, Perth, WA (18+)
Friday, November 22nd
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, NSW (AA)
Friday, November 29th
Festival Hall, Melbourne, VIC (AA)
For complete tour and ticket information visit either Live Nation or Juice WRLD’s website
