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Atlantic RecordsThe songwriters Lizzo is suing for claiming they deserve credit for her record-setting hit “Truth Hurts” are firing back.
After brothers Justin and Jeremiah Raisen accused the singer/rapper of plagiarizing a song they all wrote together, titled “Healthy,” for “Truth Hurts,” Lizzo responded earlier this week by filing a lawsuit against them.
In the suit, Lizzo says the brothers “expressly withdrew any claim to ‘Truth Hurts,’ in writing,” The lawsuit also states that “The Raisens, moreover, embarked on an escalating campaign of harassment against Lizzo and others involved in ‘Truth Hurts,’ threatening to ‘go public’ unless they receive an unwarranted share of this work.”
Now Justin and Jeremiah have responded to the lawsuit.
“Lizzo may have written the majority of ‘Truth Hurts’ alone, but she most definitely lifted the iconic line, melody, and chords from a song we wrote together called ‘Healthy,’” they write in a statement. “We are co-writers on ‘Healthy‘ therefore all participants involved in the song ‘Healthy’ deserve writing credit on ‘Truth Hurts.’”
“A musicologist report states ‘Truth Hurts’ wouldn’t exist in its current form without the existence and the borrowing from ‘Healthy,’” the statement continues. “If Lizzo wants to pursue her lawsuit against us, she has more at risk considering the evidence we have.”
This week, “Truth Hurts” tied the record for the most weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a rap song by a female artist, equaling the mark of seven weeks at the top of the chart in 2014 by Iggy Azaela‘s “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX.
As the legal battle continues, Lizzo just dropped her “Good as Hell” remix, featuring Ariana Grande. She also received six Soul Train Awards nominations, for the show airing live November 17 on BET.
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