Chris Brown and several Universal Music entities have reached a settlement in principle with songwriter Steve Chokpelle, who alleged he was denied credit and compensation for his lyrical contributions to the tracks “Sensational” and “Monalisa.” The agreement removes Brown and the music companies from the ongoing royalties lawsuit, while claims against co-defendant Sean Kingston remain active.
The settling defendants include Chris Brown Entertainment, LLC, Songs of Universal, Universal Music Publishing, Inc, and Universal Music Group, Inc. The settlement resolves all claims against these parties.
Not included in the settlement is co-defendant Kisean Paul Anderson, known professionally as Sean Kingston, and his company Time is Money Entertainment, LLC. Claims against Kingston and his company are still pending. Kingston is currently serving a 42-month prison sentence for fraud.
A 2022 remix of “Monalisa” featuring Nigerian artists Lojay and Sarz alongside Brown reached Number 8 on Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs chart. “Sensational,” which credited Kingston and Lojay as co-authors, reached Number One on Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The lawsuit alleged that the song generated more than $1 million in revenue.
