Top 20 Recent Songs Accused of Being Rip-Offs
#20: “TELEKINESIS”
Travis Scott feat. SZA & Future
In 2025, Travis Scott found himself in hot water after the release of his single “TELEKINESIS”, featuring fellow superstars SZA and Future. Songwriter Victory Boyd claimed that Scott had used elements of her 2019 composition “Like the Way It Sounds” for his own track. Upon working with Kanye West prior to that, the song eventually was passed over to Travis, and elements were used in the “TELEKINESIS” chorus. She eventually sued and earned her songwriting credit, but was upset that her work had been used outside of the gospel genre she had helped Kanye with.
#19: “GATITA”
Bellakath
There is certainly a tradition within Latin music that sees a lot of musicians making melodic and lyrical references to other songs within the genre. However, the question of where inspiration ends and plagiarism begins was brought up with Bellakath’s hit, “GATITA”. The allegation was that Bellakath had copied Little Key and Son de AK’s 2012 track “El Hueso de Mi Perra, borrowing heavily from its tone and rhythm. Bellakath was quick to deny any intentional wrongdoing, claiming that the track was entirely of her own creation. It briefly disappeared from Spotify before making its return shortly after once the dust had settled.
#18: “Million Years Ago”
Adele
Sometimes, a high profile plagiarism case can actually point out something unexpected when all is said and done. Adele came under fire from Brazilian songwriter Toninho Geraes for allegedly copying elements of his song, “Mulheres”. He brought the iconic singer to court, claiming that he was entitled to a share of the songwriting royalties. Initially, it was ruled that Adele would compensate Geraes financially, and the song would, in fact, need to be pulled off of streaming platforms. However, when it emerged that both compositions took influence from the 1964 song “Yesterday When I Was Young”, “Million Years Ago” returned to streaming platforms.
#17: “Selos”
Shaira
Nobody likes to admit when they’ve accidentally borrowed, but if you accept it gracefully, it’s generally the best course of action. When Bangsamoro pop star Shaira’s “Selos” had taken a little too freely from Lenka’s 2008 “Trouble Is a Friend”, it was clear that something needed to happen. Thankfully, the fact that these two melodies were incredibly similar was not disputed. In fact, Shaira’s agency voluntarily pulled the song, despite the clear lyrical and thematic differences. They eventually gave a songwriting credit to Lenka, because, let’s be real, it’s basically the whole song that’s at fault.
#16: “This Is America”
Childish Gambino
Few releases in the 2010s made quite the impact that the video for Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” did. Though relatively simple in its structure and lyrical content, the song and its video were very clearly a statement about racial injustices. It was a huge hit for Gambino and a major springboard into mainstream consciousness. However, its recurring hook was accused of being lifted from Kidd Wess’ 2016 track “Made in America”. Was it a simple case of the natural rhythm of a three-word refrain being coincidentally similar? Well, no settlement was ever officially reached, so we’ll let you be the judge of that.
#15: “Sorry”
Justin Bieber
Imagine the surprise that Casey Dienel felt when she heard the undeniable similarity between the vocal hook on Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and her White Hinterland track “Ring The Bell”. To hear one of the world’s biggest artists seemingly ripping off the key motif of your track must’ve been a real gutpunch. The only problem? Well, as time went on, the lawsuit eventually fizzled out. This was thanks, in part, to a video released by producer Skrillex, which clearly showed him manipulating the vocals of co-writer Julia Michaels to get the desired effect. Yet another example of an alleged rip-off that was probably just a bizarre coincidence.
#14: “The Rest of Our Life”
Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
Ed Sheeran is a man who has found himself at the centre of more than a few plagiarism lawsuits over the years. That comes with the territory of being one of pop music’s premier songwriters, of course. However, in the case of the song “The Rest of Our Life”, which he co-wrote for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, something truly unavoidable came up. The songwriters were sued due to the undeniable similarities between it and “When I Found You” by Australian country music star Jasmine Rae. Despite the $5 million in damages that was sought, an undisclosed settlement was eventually reached.
#13: “Safaera”
Bad Bunny feat. Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow
Sampling in the world of modern music has certainly led to some blurred lines when it comes to pointing out a clear rip. However, in the case of “Safaera”, Bad Bunny was forced to remove the song from streaming platforms after its clear inspiration from Missy Elliott’s magnum opus “Get Ur Freak On” came to light. If you’re going to take influence, why not take it from one of the greatest hip-hop songs of the 2000s? Unfortunately, they did need to sign away a huge chunk of their royalties, leaving Elliott with 25% without even lifting a finger.
#12: “Shake It Off”
Taylor Swift
We’ll let you guys be the judge of how much these two songs sound alike. Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” represented a real step away from her country roots and into a genre that she would go on to dominate. With increased exposure, though, came increased scrutiny, and R&B group 3LW were quick to notice the similarities between Swift’s song and their 2001 release “Playas Gon’ Play”. Was it a simple case of a culturally common phrase that just so happened to be sung in a different way? Well, the courts weren’t convinced that anyone was at fault and the case was quickly dismissed.
#11: “Starboy”
The Weeknd
When The Weeknd teamed up with the French electronic legends Daft Punk, the resulting song was one of his biggest ever hits. “Starboy” was a critical and commercial smash, continuing to break new ground for The Weeknd. Unfortunately, it also came under fire for having very similar elements to the song “Hooyo” by the singer and poet, Yasminah. Now, things got a little tricky because it was the melody and also the flow of the verses that were presented as potentially at fault. We’re sure opinions will be split down the middle, due to how common the rhythmical ideas are. Though reports of an out-of-court settlement were widespread, Yasminah claimed to have never received anything.
#10: “Juice”
Lizzo
For as much as Lizzo caught some heat for the crediting on “Truth Hurts”, today we’ll stick with “Juice”. Lizzo was accused of lifting the ‘yeah-yeah’ refrain from the 1990 classic “Finally” by CeCe Peniston, although no formal legal action was taken. Lizzo’s team dismissed the allegations as little more than opportunism, and with no courtroom battle to follow, that’s all that ever came of it. When coupled with the other controversy over “Truth Hurts”, it culminated in a bad period in the press for Lizzo’s artistic credibility.
#9: “I Do This”
Kendrick Lamar
When Kendrick Lamar was sued by representatives of the great Bill Withers, it wasn’t for a direct sample of his 1975 song “Don’t You Want to Stay”. No, they instead claimed that Lamar had attempted to entirely recreate the track’s feel and melody for his song “I Do This”. On first listen, you’d be forgiven for assuming it was a sample of Withers’ song. It was alleged that “I Do This” was a conscious attempt to replicate the tone of that track without having to credit any additional composers. The case was eventually litigated, but not settled, leaving the original credit list untouched.
#8: “Levitating”
Dua Lipa
Sure, Dua Lipa’s “Break My Heart” strays a little too close to INXS’s “I Need You Tonight”, but her biggest plagiarism controversy was undoubtedly “Levitating”. The song was accused of stealing elements from Artikal Sound System’s 2017 “Live Your Life”. The track was by no means a smash hit for the Florida-based reggae outfit, but they claimed that Lipa had access to their release and that it was highly unlikely that the tracks were created independently. They sought financial compensation for the supposed songwriting theft, but the case was thrown out as they couldn’t prove that Lipa had actually listened to the track.
#7: “Flowers”
Miley Cyrus
When it comes to complex legal battles over music, sometimes it’s hard to know just how much the act of paying tribute can be relevant. The chorus to 2023 Miley Cyrus mega-hit “Flowers” was immediately noted to bear undeniable similarities to the chorus of Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man”. The song was alleged to be a paraphrase and reframing of Mars’ ballad, responding to the original’s grief over a lost relationship with a message of self-empowerment. Nearly three years after the song’s release, the legal battle had yet to be fully resolved.
#6: “Dark Horse”
Katy Perry
When “Dark Horse” by Katy Perry debuted in 2013, it marked yet another huge commercial success for her - the latest in a string that would see her dominate the 2010s. However, when Christian hip-hop artist FLAME accused Perry of stealing a short melodic sequence from the song “Joyful Noise”, things spiralled. Initially, the jury decided to award $2.78 million to the plaintiffs in 2019, but later the decision was reversed. The reason? The sequence in question was deemed to be too simple to realistically copyright. Though the section of the song was quite brief, it certainly highlighted just how sensitive musical plagiarism cases had become.
#5: “Get Free”
Lana Del Rey
The funny thing about Lana Del Rey finding herself in hot water over her song “Get Free” was the sheer irony of the allegations being made. Alt-rock legends Radiohead were alleging that Lana had taken elements from “Creep” and added them to her song’s verses. It’s funny because Thom Yorke and co. found themselves in the exact same position when the song was accused of borrowing its melody from The Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe”. In the end, a confidential settlement was agreed upon, putting this controversy firmly to bed.
#4: “Good 4 U “
Olivia Rodrigo
Yes, we know that Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal” sounds like Elvis Costello, but the saga she shared with Paramore was far more interesting, in our book. Rodrigo’s song “Good 4 U” cuts it a little too close to Paramore’s “Misery Business” to go unnoticed. In the end, the pop-rock band felt well within their rights to launch a legal battle, which netted them somewhere in the region of $700k–$1.2m in royalties. Given the lack of pushback from Rodrigo’s camp and their decision to add songwriting credits, it was refreshing to see how quickly this one was resolved between both parties.
#3: “Shape of You”
Ed Sheeran
Ask us on a different day and you might find us taking Sheeran to task for “Photograph” or “Thinking Out Loud” for their plagiarism controversies. Sheeran has written so many massive hits that it’s damn near impossible for him not to come up against at least some accusations. Sami Chokri was the artist who alleged that “Shape of You” had intentionally ripped off his song “Oh Why”. No matter where your own personal opinion falls on this one, Sheeran was very comfortably able to clear his name, despite the elements they share. He was even awarded over $1 million in legal costs. Sure, they sound similar, but in the eyes of the law, he neither deliberately or subconsciously stole anything.
#2: “Uptown Funk”
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
There’s no denying the similarities between Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ modern-day classic collaboration “Uptown Funk” and The Gap Band’s “Oops Up Side Your Head”. In fact, it should come as no surprise that this was very quickly noticed. Both songs share the same vocal hook in their respective chorus. After The Gap Band brought it to light, it didn’t take long until their members were rightly given a songwriting credit and 17% of future royalties. Considering the long-lasting popularity of the track, that cut was no doubt a substantial amount.
#1: “Blurred Lines”
Robin Thicke feat. Pharrell, T.I.
There might not have been a more controversial song this side of the year 2000 than Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”. We don’t even need to talk about its lyrical content here either, to drive that point home. The song very clearly ripped off the entire feel of the legendary Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up”, leading to a long and impactful legal battle between Thicke and Gaye’s estate. It opened up a very important conversation about the difference between influence and theft that is still continuing to this day. In the end, Thicke was forced to change the songwriting credits and make a payout to the Gaye estate.
But which blatant musical rip-off sticks out in your memory? Let us know in the comments below.