Chris Brown Faces Lawsuit for Alleged Exclusion from Royalties of 'Sensational' and 'Monalisa'

Chris Brown has come under legal scrutiny as songwriter Steve Chokpelle, who goes by the stage name Muse, has initiated a federal lawsuit against him. Chokpelle alleges that he was excluded from receiving royalties for two hit songs he co-wrote with the R&B; artist.

The lawsuit, filed on February 4, asserts that Chokpelle was responsible for the lyrics of “Sensational,” a track featured on Brown’s 2023 album 11:11, which not only topped Billboard’s Mainstream R&B;/Hip-Hop Airplay chart but also made it to No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, he claims authorship of “Monalisa,” a song from 2022 that featured collaborations with Lojay and Sarz, which reached No. 8 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs and No. 38 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart.

The legal complaint states, "Defendants have derived significant benefits by earning millions through the commercial success of 'Monalisa' and 'Sensational,'" and adds that due to their failure to recognize Chokpelle's authorship and ownership rights, they have been unjustly enriched.

Chokpelle contends he crafted the lyrics for “Monalisa” during a 2020 session with Brown and Sean Kingston at Brown’s residence in Tarzana, California. He claims that despite the song's success, he was not credited and has not received any compensation.

Furthermore, Chokpelle asserts he also wrote the lyrics for “Sensational” in 2023 in collaboration with producer Onyekachi Emenalo, known as Krazytunez, and subsequently shared the song with Brown. Though listed as a composer in the song credits, he mentions that he was intentionally omitted from the copyright registration and has not received any financial returns from the track.

The lawsuit seeks a court ruling to recognize Chokpelle as a co-author and copyright holder for both songs, along with a demand for at least $1 million in damages due to unjust enrichment and fraud allegations against Brown, Kingston, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG).

As of now, representatives for Brown, Sony, and UMPG have not responded to inquiries regarding the lawsuit. Kingston, currently imprisoned for a separate fraud case, could not be reached for comment.