Lizzo accused of plagiarism for song 'Truth Hurts' by producer Justin Raisen

The singer, rapper and flautist's most infamous line is under fire 
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Margaret Abrams16 October 2019

Singer, rapper and flautist Lizzo is facing her second plagiarism claim for her number one single Truth Hurts.

“I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100 percent that b*tch” might be the line she’s most famous for, but now she’s being accused of taking it from another song that she wrote with producer Justin Raisen in 2017.

Raisen posted about it on his Instagram, showcasing a video of the song they co-wrote with Jesse St John and Yves Rothman, called Healthy alongside Truth Hurts. Both have the same first line - her famous DNA test lyric. They also have the same melody, although they are sung in a different key.

“We were never contacted about being credited for the use of the parts of Healthy (melody, lyrics, and chords) that appear in Truth Hurts. We’ve tried to sort this out quietly for the last two years, only asking for 5% [songwriting royalties] each, but were shut down every time,” Raisen wrote on Instagram.

Raisen is a popular producer who has also worked with Sky Ferreira, Charli XCX, Santigold, Billy Corgan and more.

He goes on to say that he’s going public with the information because of “emotional distress,” adding “The last thing we want to do is throw any negativity toward Lizzo’s momentum and movement as a cultural figure.”

She was previously accused of plagiarizing the “100%” lyric in February 2018, as British singer Mina Lioness originally tweeted the phrase in February of 2017. Lizzo responded to the original accusations on Twitter.

Now, Raisen is saying that he will share some of the proceeds with Mina if Lizzo’s team decides to “settle this dispute.”

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