It has been two years since Ariana Grande released her newest album, Dangerous Woman . Included on that album is the song “Side to Side,” which features Nicki Minaj. While the album and this single have been heavily played on the radio, and the music video for the song has more than a billion views on YouTube, it seems that there is a lawsuit brewing after all this time.
According to a new report from TMZ , a new suit has been filed alleging that “Side to Side” is a rip-off of a Texas man’s track, which goes by the name, “J5 (T6).” The lawsuit claims the single from Dangerous Woman is a “blatant rip-off” of Christopher R. O’Connor’s work and that the only real difference is that Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s vocals have been added to the track.
This new lawsuit against Grande and Minaj’s song claims that someone from the record label, UMG Recordings, found O’Connor’s track online and then copied it in order to use it for the single off of Dangerous Woman . TMZ apparently reached out to Christopher O’Connor and was told that the musician had tried to contact UMG directly about the situation and this alleged copyright violation. According to O’Connor, he was told that he needed to send in a demo to UMG, but beyond that, nothing else was discussed in regard to his accusations regarding the Ariana Grande single.
While the lawsuit against Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s “Side to Side” is what is currently in the spotlight, Christopher O’Connor also claimed that UMG has found other tracks of his and used them as well, without his permission. The Texas musician said that artists such as Taylor Swift and Mike Shinoda have also used his work in their own songs.
Although O’Connor is claiming that Grande and Minaj’s single is a rip-off of his work, he is apparently not suing the singers themselves and is instead bringing the lawsuit against the record label directly. He is asking that he get not only credit as a songwriter on “Side to Side,” but he is also asking to get a share of the royalties from the single.
At this time, there has been no word from Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, or UMG about this particular lawsuit or what it means for the song itself. For now, people get to judge for themselves whether or not they believe the two tracks sound alike and if “Side to Side” is a rip-off of “J5 (T6).”
