American R&B star Chris Brown has been hit with a federal lawsuit by songwriter and lyricist Steve Chokpelle, also known professionally as Muse, who alleges that he co-wrote two of Brown’s hit songs but was excluded from royalties and proper compensation.
The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday, February 4, and centres on two commercially successful tracks: “Sensational,” from Chris Brown’s 2023 album 11:11, and “Monalisa,” a 2022 collaboration involving Brown, Nigerian singer Lojay, and producer Sarz. According to Chokpelle, despite his significant creative contributions to both songs, he has not received any royalties or financial benefits from their success.
In the court filing, Chokpelle claims he wrote the lyrics for “Sensational,” a song that achieved notable chart success by topping Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and reaching number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. He also asserts that he authored the lyrics for “Monalisa,” which performed strongly on the charts, peaking at number eight on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and number 38 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants benefited significantly from the commercial exploitation of both songs while deliberately failing to credit or compensate him. “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 complaint states. It further argues that by failing to acknowledge Chokpelle’s authorship and copyright ownership, the defendants were unjustly enriched.
According to details outlined in the lawsuit, Chokpelle claims he wrote the lyrics for “Monalisa” during a 2020 studio session held at Chris Brown’s home in Tarzana, California. The session reportedly included Brown and singer Sean Kingston. Chokpelle alleges that despite the song’s subsequent success, he was never credited as a songwriter and did not receive any compensation.
He further claims that his exclusion from the song’s credits and royalty structure was not accidental. The lawsuit states that Chokpelle has “never received any compensation despite ‘Monalisa’s’ commercial success,” a situation he says has caused both financial loss and professional harm.
Regarding “Sensational,” Chokpelle asserts that he wrote the lyrics in 2023 alongside Nigerian producer Onyekachi Emenalo, known professionally as Krazytunez. He claims the song was later shared with Chris Brown, who went on to release it as part of his album. Although Chokpelle is listed as a composer in some credits, he alleges that he was intentionally omitted from the official copyright registration.
As a result, he claims he has received “no revenues whatsoever” from the track, despite its strong commercial performance. The lawsuit argues that this omission prevented him from accessing royalties and other financial benefits typically associated with songwriting and copyright ownership.
The legal action seeks a court declaration recognising Chokpelle as an author and co-copyright owner of both “Monalisa” and “Sensational.” In addition, the lawsuit is requesting at least one million dollars in damages, citing claims of unjust enrichment and fraud.
Named as defendants in the lawsuit are Chris Brown, Sean Kingston, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group. Chokpelle alleges that these parties either directly benefited from or facilitated the exploitation of the songs without properly crediting or compensating him.
The case adds to a growing list of legal challenges surrounding Chris Brown in recent years. While the current lawsuit focuses on intellectual property and royalty disputes, it follows other unrelated legal matters involving the artist, including claims and allegations tied to tours, trademarks, and past incidents.
As of the time of filing, representatives for Chris Brown, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group had not issued public responses to the allegations. Requests for comment reportedly went unanswered on Wednesday. Sean Kingston, who is named in the lawsuit in connection with the “Monalisa” recording session, could not be reached for comment. Kingston is currently serving a federal prison sentence related to an unrelated fraud conviction.
Legal experts note that disputes over songwriting credits and royalties are not uncommon in the music industry, particularly when multiple artists, producers, and writers collaborate across different locations and time periods. Such cases often hinge on documentation, copyright registrations, session records, and contractual agreements.
If the court rules in Chokpelle’s favour, the decision could result in financial compensation and a reassessment of songwriting credits for the two tracks. It could also reignite broader conversations within the industry about transparency, proper crediting, and the protection of creative contributions, especially for behind-the-scenes songwriters.
For now, the case remains before the courts, with further developments expected as responses are filed and proceedings move forward. The outcome could have implications not only for the parties involved but also for how similar royalty disputes are handled in the future.
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