Three songwriters are suing Travis Scott and the other credited authors and producers on his hit song “Highest In the Room,” claiming that the song ripped off their distinctive guitar melody.
According to Billboard, the suit accuses Scott and his collaborators of “pretending to be interested in a collaboration,” only to “intentionally [break] the rules by exploiting plaintiffs work without consent or a license, masquerading as if plaintiff’s music is their own.”
The three plaintiffs, songwriters Olivier Bassil, Benjamin Lasnier, and Lukas Benjamin Leth, filed the suit yesterday, June 9, against Scott and his collaborators, including Oz (Ozan Yildirim), Nik Dejan Frascona, Mike Dean, Jimmy Cash (Jamie Lepr), and Sean Solymar.
In the 37-page complaint, the songwriters alleged that they created a song titled “Cartier” with a distinct guitar melody in 2019. They then sent the original work to several producers, hoping someone would be interested in licensing the work or collaborating. When “Highest in the Room” was released, Bassil, Lasnier, and Leth found the guitar melody of the song substantially similar to “Cartier.”
“Highest in the Room” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100 last October. Now the songwriters are asking the court to award them damages in addition to their share of royalties for the track.