Troy Ave has been sued in federal court over his 2016 song “Chuck Norris,” with the company that represents the song’s producer CITO claiming that the jailed rapper doesn’t have the right to profit from the track.
Court documents obtained by HipHopDX reveal that the suit — filed on April 12 — was filed by In The Struggle Productions, LLC, because “no compensation or payment has ever been provided to, or even offered in good faith, to the owner of the musical work incorporated into a highly successful song.”
The company claims that it hasn’t received any royalties from the song, despite it receiving “millions of compensated plays on Spotify as well as on many other commercial distribution channels.” It says that Troy’s song “was released without authorization and compensation,” in violation of their rights.
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In The Struggle Productions, LLC, is the company that signed producer Ruben D. Sosa, Jr. — better known as CitoOnTheBeat, or CITO, who has produced successful tracks for the likes of Cardi B and Lil Yachty. The company, which inked Cito to a deal back in 2012, is suing Troy for quite a handsome sum.
To wit, the company wants $150,000 for “each act of infringement,” punitive damages to be determined at trial, $250,000 in misappropriation costs, $250,000 in attorney’s fees, $300,000 in trademark infringement fees, $350,000 in violation of publicity fees, and $500,000 in unjust enrichment fees, for a total of $1.8 million plus punitive damages.
Check out parts of the lawsuit below.
Troy Ave sued over using disputed track for his song "Chuck Norris" pic.twitter.com/sJEMKbh23y
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) April 20, 2024
Back in February, Troy Ave (real name Roland Collins) began serving his prison sentence following a shooting incident in 2016 that resulted in the death of his bodyguard.
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The Brooklyn rapper and podcaster Taxstone got into a fight at a T.I. concert at NYC’s Irving Plaza, which resulted in Ave getting shot twice, his bodyguard Ronald “Banga” McPhatter murdered and two bystanders injured.
Taxstone was sentenced to 35 years in prison while Troy Ave was handed a reduced one-year stint in jail.
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Troy spoke about going away in an Instagram video captioned “#FreeTroyAve” and appeared to confirm he was turning himself into authorities to begin his sentence.
“About to run up in the court, you might not see me for a while but just know the streets is a myth,” he said. “Somebody shot at me. Instead of laying down and dying, I’d have been a hero, a martyr. I take the gun and bust back.
“There you have it, here go the consequences. We don’t cry over spilt milk. You take the lemons and you make lemonade. Y’all keep supporting and keep running it. And send prayers; prayers count more than anything … I’m up out of here.”
