OMG Girlz Archives - New Hip Hop News

T.I. And Tiny Won $71 Million In Their OMG Girlz Lawsuit Against Toymakers MGA

September 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

T.I. and Tiny Harris have prevailed in their copyright infringement lawsuit against toy company MGA over its O.M.G. doll line. They won $71 million after a jury decided the toys did, in fact, infringe on the concept of the pop group OMG Girlz, which was created by Tiny and featured her daughter Zonnique “Star” Pullins.

According to Law360 (via Billboard), the couple was awarded $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages after one day of deliberation following the three-week trial.

The couple first sued the company in 2021, alleging “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property” in the design of the O.M.G. dolls, which recreated the look of a group of “young multicultural women.” While MGA argued that few would remember the “short-lived” pop group, the Harris’ case presented side-by-side images of their OMG Girlz, comparing dolls to each of the group’s four members: Pullins, Bahja “Beauty” Rodriguez, and Breaunna “Babydoll” Womack.

This latest trial was the third in the saga; the first, in January 2023, ended in mistrial after inadmissible evidence was presented in court, while the second was overturned on appeal after finding MGA not liable for copyright infringement. MGA can still appeal this latest decision.

The win was the second legal victory for the couple in as many months, after a judge dismissed the sexual assault case against them in August — the second such case to be dismissed.

T.I. And Tiny Won $75 Million In Their OMG Girlz Lawsuit Against Toymakers MGA

September 24, 2024 by newhiphopnews

According to Law360 (via Billboard), the couple was awarded $17.9 million in actual damages and $53.6 million in punitive damages after one day of deliberation following the three-week trial.

The win was the second legal victory for the couple in as many months, after a judge dismissed the sexual assault case against them in August — the second such case to be dismissed.

OMG Girlz Reveal T.I. Contributed To Bre’s Verse In “Lover Boy”

August 10, 2023 by newhiphopnews

At first, there was TLC, Xscape, and Destiny’s Child. Now, there’s OMG Girlz. The brainchild of Tameka “Tiny” Harris, the girl group is composed of three members: Zonnique Pullins, Bahja Rodriguez, and Breaunna Womack. Of course, with Zonnique’s parents being Tiny and T.I., the girls were destined for greatness from the start.

OMG Girlz represent female empowerment to the fullest, marked by their theme colors: pink, purple, and blue. Their sound is fun, experimental, and relatable, with lyrics inspired by real life experiences that captivates listeners all around the world. And in an oversaturated music industry, the OMG Girlz are proud to be in their own lane.

While the girls split in 2015, the group recently reunited after T.I. and Tiny filed a lawsuit against MGA Entertainment, claiming the company copied the likeness of their group for the line of L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G dolls. A blessing in disguise, all three members conjoined to finish/record the song “Lover Boy,” which was first teased back in 2011.

Serving as their first song in eight years, it seems OMG Girlz haven’t missed a beat.

The Source spoke with the OMG Girlz via Instagram Live, discussing “Lover Boy” and T.I.’s involvement in the song.

“Lover Boy” is your first release in 8 years, that’s a long time!

All: Yeah!

Breaunna: “Lover Boy” is a song, fan favorite first and foremost. It was discovered by a video of our rehearsal footage getting leaked on Youtube. From there, we always performed it on tour. So to bring it back, even when we got in the studio, it was great vibes. Great energy. It was almost a party, a full circle moment to be back in the studio altogether. Doing that song too, we love that song. Then added my verse to it. It was great energy, great vibes. It’s being taken very well. We want to say we appreciate all the fans who are playing it and streaming it, keep doing that. We got a video coming very soon.

What can we expect from the video?

Breaunna: We gon’ do big one, we gon’ do something big. We want to keep it under surprise, though. We don’t want to give too many details so that way when y’all see it, it’s like “oh wow! That’s dope.”

Bahja: “This looks really cool.”

You guys were so young back then. How is it as a group, now that y’all are a little bit older? A little more mature?

Zonnique: The vibes with us are really natural, so it’s the same. We’ve been around each other forever at this point.

Breaunna: We didn’t stop being around each other either. Even when we took a moment apart, we still was around each other, supporting each other. Hanging out.

Zonnique: It’s always been pretty much the same, but it’s nice to be back in a space doing music and being older.

What do each of you bring to the table?

Bahja: Oh that’s a good question, I don’t think we’ve ever got that one. I definitely bring a bit of fire. My personality, really to the friendship for sure. Just a super dedicated type of passion. Anything that I’m a part of, I’m really into it. I’m really wanting to be a part of it and make it the best that it could be, whether it’s myself or the girls.

Zonnique: When you’re on stage, you bring a cool show presence. The cool girl.

Bahja: Okay! I like the cool girl.

Breaunna: On stage, I bring the energy. I’ll be rapping, making sure the vibe’s on 10. Everybody’s engaged and those type of things. Relationship wise, I bring big sister — people say motherly vibes. I be very positive, hardworking, overachiever type thing. When it comes to the group, I bring the rap, so that character to it.

Zonnique: I bring some soft vocals…

All: [laughs]

Breaunna: High key.

Bahja: She brings the chills vibes. She always mellows us out.

Zonnique: It’s still aggressive though. On stage, it’s very aggressive. It works. Each one something that the other one doesn’t have. When we all come together, that’s why it goes perfect.

Some asked if T.I. wrote the end of Bre’s verse for “Lover Boy”? Because it sounds exactly like him.

Zonnique: Yeah, he wrote the end part of it.

Breaunna: We have a vlog that me and Zonnique dropped. The fans can go watch and see how it all came about, because he definitely was in there. We were in there together, working, talking about it. We had stepped out for a minute, then came in.

What’s it like working with such legends in the music space?

Zonnique: It’s always nice to work with people who know the business, period. Who really our season in industry. It’s really fun working with my parents, honestly. They are some characters. [laughs] They’re really fun to work with because they’re headstrong and opinionated. They’re always going to tell you how they feel so it can be the best that it can be. It’s really nice working with both my parents.

Bahja: They know exactly how they want things to sound, they just execute. It’s cool to have mentors like that who can show you proper studio etiquette or how things should go.

Breaunna: Then the business, they give great advice. Great tips. It’s family-oriented too, so they make sure we’re good and stuff like that.

What’s the best piece of advice they’ve given you?

Breaunna: I know the paperwork thing, make sure that’s good. When it comes to writing, make sure you have your own publishing. Get registered. With your publishing, get everything together. Things of that nature.

Zonnique: It’s really important.

Breaunna: It is.

TLC is a big influence, how have they impacted your artistry?

Zonnique: TLC for us, we always felt it matched up perfectly with them being two singers, a rapper. They were always really bold, with pretty much everything. Their message, their style. It was always fun, but the music was always innovative and timeless. We always looked up to TLC specifically, but a lot of different girl groups for sure. And artists.

Any other ones?

Zonnique: Destiny’s Child. XSCAPE for sure. Definitely learned from XSCAPE. Music just inspires us.

I interviewed XSCAPE earlier this year, they are so funny together! Is that how you guys are?

All: Definitely.

Zonnique: Definitely think we’re funny.

Breaunna: Yeah, we stay laughing with each other. Lot of styles.

Someone said “I want T.I. to bring the thug out of Bre, she from the Bam!”

All: [laughs]

Breaunna: Oh you know, I’ll bring it out for you. It depends what song we put out.

Zonnique: Not going to lie, I definitely think the “Lover Boy” verse was aggressive.

Bahja: Period, on straight.

Are you guys working on new music?

Zonnique: So we’ve been in talks about getting in the studio. We haven’t gotten in the studio quite yet, but we’ve been discussing a lot about it. My mom’s already sending us beats, people who she’s like “let’s get in the studio with this person.” We’re definitely getting geared up.

The post OMG Girlz Reveal T.I. Contributed To Bre’s Verse In “Lover Boy” first appeared on The Source.

The post OMG Girlz Reveal T.I. Contributed To Bre’s Verse In “Lover Boy” appeared first on The Source.

MGA Seeking $6 Million From T.I. For “Misconduct” In OMG Girlz Lawsuit

June 28, 2023 by newhiphopnews

According to legal documents obtained by Billboard, MGA Entertainment is now seeking $6 million from T.I. The news follows T.I. and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, losing a lawsuit against the company last month. The pair had claimed that the company used the likeness of a teen pop girl group created by Tiny in 2009, the OMG Girlz, as inspiration for their popular doll collection. Tiny called the verdict “horrible” following the news.

Now, MGA is firing back. The company’s lawyers claim the lawsuit was handled improperly, and they are looking to be reimbursed for hefty legal fees. “The OMG Girlz’ litigation tactics, over-reaching claims, and misconduct — including violating one of this Court’s … rulings as to require a mistrial — justify awarding MGA the over $6.1million in fees spent litigating this matter,” the lawyers wrote.

T.I. And Tiny Sued MGA Entertainment

MGA Seeking $6 Million From T.I. For "Misconduct" In OMG Girlz Lawsuit — T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris attend 2019 Black Music Honors at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on September 05, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for Black Music Honors)

MGA’s lawyers continued, “Both in the manner the OMG Girlz litigated this case, and the weakness of the substantive claims and theories the OMG Girlz presented (as confirmed by the jury), the Court should conclude that this case stands out from others.”

The legal battle saw the pair accuse MGA of modeling their “L.O.L. Surprise OMG Girls” dolls after the group. “The animated OMG Dolls copy the OMG Girl distinctive physical appearance, hair styles and hair colors, dress and mimic the OMG Girl released sound recordings,” T.I. and Tiny’s lawsuit against MGA read. The couple also accused the company of racism, attempting to convince a jury that the dolls showcase “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property.” MGA’s legal team claimed the trial was unfair due to these racism accusations, and it was later ruled a mistrial. MGA’s Chief Executive Officer, Isaac Larian, said that he “feels great” following the verdict.

[Via]

The post MGA Seeking $6 Million From T.I. For “Misconduct” In OMG Girlz Lawsuit appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

OMG Girlz Teases The Long-Awaited Release Of Their Single “Lover Boy”

June 21, 2023 by newhiphopnews

After a hiatus, the OMG Girlz are building excitement among their fans by teasing the release of their highly anticipated single “Lover Boy.” The group took to Twitter to share a teaser, announcing that the song would finally be released in July 2023. Fans have been eagerly waiting for OMG Girlz’s “Lover Boy” since it […]

The post OMG Girlz Teases The Long-Awaited Release Of Their Single “Lover Boy” appeared first on SOHH.com.

T.I. And Tiny Lose $100M Lawsuit Against MGA Entertainment

May 27, 2023 by newhiphopnews

The final verdict is in on T.I. and Tameka “Tiny” Harris’ lawsuit against MGA Entertainment. The pair lost the $100 million legal battle, which surrounded one of the company’s most popular doll collections. In January, they sued MGA Entertainment, claiming that the company had produced a collection of dolls resembling OMG Girlz, a teen pop girl group created by Harris in 2009. “It’s horrible, but whatever,” Tiny told Law360 about the verdict. T.I. also added that he wants to “hear what the jurors have to say.”

“The animated OMG Dolls copy the OMG Girl distinctive physical appearance, hair styles and hair colors, dress and mimic the OMG Girl released sound recordings,” the lawsuit read. T.I. and Tiny tried to convince a jury that the “L.O.L. Surprise OMG Girls” dolls showcased “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property.” They also added that MGA Entertainment was stealing the likeness of a group of “young multicultural women.” The initial lawsuit was declared a mistrial, based on MGA’s claim the trial was unfair due to cultural appropriation accusations.

T.I. And Tiny Claim MGA Copied OMG Girlz

T.I. And Tiny Lose $100M Lawsuit Against MGA Entertainment — Breaunna ?Baby Doll? Womack, Zonnique “Star” Pullins and Bahja ?Beauty? Rodriguez of OMG Girlz perform during Scream Tour – Part 2 at James L Knight Center on August 31, 2012 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Vallery Jean/FilmMagic)

MGA’s Chief Executive Officer Isaac Larian called the verdict “a shakedown,” claiming to be “glad they came back with this verdict so fast.” He added that he “feels great” following the ruling. A spokesperson for MGA told LAMag in January, “In claiming inaccurately that MGA Entertainment copied their ‘unique’ look, they are unjustifiably seeking millions of dollars from the design and sale of our hit toy line.” He also added that the company intended to to “fiercely defend ourselves and our talented artists and designers, as we explain to the court how they created our best-selling toys with no influence from the OMG Girlz group.”

Legal affairs journalist Meghann Cuniff documented the lawsuit in January on her Twitter account. “There are big cultural misappropriation and racism issues being considered in litigation, among other pre-trial issues,” she wrote. Cuniff also added that she heard, “There will be 31 dolls at issue in trial. An MGA lawyer says that means there will be 31 mini trials, as the creative origins of each doll are explored in full.”

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T.I. Reappears In Court For OMG Girlz Vs. OMG Dolls Case

May 11, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Since 2009, The OMG Girlz have made their mark on Generation Z. From their fashion, colorful hair, and sound of music, they have become the influence of young girls during their reign before disbanding in 2015. The group has since performed together again for the Great Xscape Tour opening up for the legendary R&B group Xscape. Their influence has appeared to have a similar look to the toymaker MGA’s “OMG LOL Surprise” Dolls. T.I. has reappeared in the court to continue the fight against the toy maker for copying the looks of the group created by his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris.

Last Year, Tiny Harris filed a lawsuit against MGA over the intellectual property after accusing the company of copying the looks of the girl group she created in 2009. she claimed both “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property,” as her official reason for taking MGA to court. In January, the case made it to trial and they started to appear in court over the lawsuit. The case was documented on Twitter by Meghann Cuniff, who is a Legal Affairs Journalist. After the trial was deemed a mistrial, both T.I. and Tiny appeared in court to fight the case again. On May 10th, T.I. appeared in court for the second trial of this case.

T.I. Continues The Fight Against MGA

Hip-hop moguls T.I. and @TinyMajorMama are at the federal courthouse in Santa Ana today with @Zonnique, @bahjarodriguez and Breaunna Womack for the retrial in their lawsuit with @MGAEnt over the OMG Dolls and the OMG Girlz. This is a real case. pic.twitter.com/YGhQEwI4Bw

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) May 10, 2023

Moreover, he was spotted outside the courtroom alongside Tiny and two of the original group members Bahja Rodriguez and Zonnique Pullins. Both Bajah and Zonnique sported their bright hair colors paying homage to the origins of their group. The OMG Girlz consisted of two more members, Lourdes Rodriguez and briefly Reginae Carter. Together, the group produced singles such as “Gucci This (Gucci That)” and “Where the Boys At.” The group has not put out an official album. However, their impact has remained strong. Subsequently, their fans still hold hope that the group will release an official project.

Furthermore, the case against MGA continues as T.I. and Tiny have gone to court for the second trial. What do you think will be the outcome of this case? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

[Via]

Zonnique Pullins Takes Credit For “Baddie,” Cites Beyoncé’s Former Instagram Handle

March 11, 2023 by newhiphopnews

OMG Girl Zonnique Pullins, also known as Miss Star, demanded that fans give her group credit for popularizing the term “baddie.” In a recent tweet, the singer said, “I’m sorry to tell y’all but Beyoncé would of never named her Instagram ‘baddiebey’ and wrote a letter to the OMG Girlz thanking us for naming her Instagram if OMG didn’t put the word on the map… Never said we invented it… I know exactly where the word was invented.”

This comes after a clip from her interview with podcaster Mr. Jay Hill where he claimed not to know any OMG Girlz songs went viral. Zonnique was quick to respond, citing some of the group’s best hits, including “Gucci This (Gucci That),” “Where The Boys At,” and “Baddie.” She asked, “You hear girls saying baddie, right? Where do you think that comes from?”

Zonnique Claps Back

Twitter users had mixed opinions of the clip. Some agreed with Mr. Jay Hill, stating that they also did not know any OMG Girlz songs. Others sided with Zonnique and claimed to have witnessed the group’s influence first-hand. Some users even claimed that it was disrespectful for him to invite the artist to his podcast without knowing who she was.

Social media’s opinion about how influential the OMG Girlz were may be mixed, but the truth remains that they did influence Beyonce’s OG Instagram handle, @baddiebey. In November 2012, the musical group did an interview with ISHlist entitled “Top 7 Reasons Beyoncé Is a Baddie.” The RENAISSANCE singer took note of this and, in true Queen B fashion, replied with a handwritten note. It read, “Hey Beautiful Young Ladies. Thank you so much for the sweet things y’all said. You named my Instagram!! FYI!! I’m very proud of you ladies. I hope to see y’all soon – Baddie Bey.”

The OMG Girlz’s Influence

This isn’t the first time the OMG Girlz have referenced the fact that they influenced Beyonce’s original Instagram name and the popularity of the word baddie overall. In May 2022, during an interview with The Shade Room, they referenced influencing the mother of three and recounted their reaction to finding out that they helped with coining her Instagram name. Do you think Zonnique has a point? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more pop culture news.

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T.I. and Tiny L.O.L Surprise! Lawsuit Ends in Mistrial

January 28, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Last year Tiny Harris filed a lawsuit against the makers of the L.O.L Surprise! dolls after accusing them of copying their look from her defunct all-girl singing group the OMG Girlz. The judge has just declared a mistrial.

Bloomberg Law reports:

The maker of the popular L.O.L. Surprise! OMG Dolls was granted a mistrial in an intellectual property dispute with rapper T.I. and former teen pop group OMG Girlz, after a California federal judge determined that prohibited testimony on cultural appropriation was introduced.

Prior to trial, which began Jan. 17, Judge James V. Selna of the Central District of California barred testimony about the dolls’ alleged racist cultural appropriation.

MGA Entertainment originally sued OMG Girlz, Clifford T.I. Harris, and Xscape singer Tameka “Tiny” Harris—whose daughter, Zonnique Pullins, was a part of the music group—in December 2020. It sought a declaratory judgment that its OMG Dolls didn’t infringe on the intellectual property rights of the former band after receiving a cease and desist letter.

The OMG Girlz—who performed from 2009 to 2015—responded with counterclaims alleging misappropriation of their name and likenesses, trade dress infringement, and unfair competition. They also sought damages and an order blocking further sale of the infringing dolls. They claimed that the dolls’ names and appearances are similar

to the members of OMG Girlz, and a comparison “makes it clear that the OMG Dolls were intentionally designed to trade on the OMG Girlz’ likeness and brand.”

The OMG Girlz’ original counterclaims also alleged cultural appropriation, accusing MGA Entertainment and its CEO Isaac Larian of using his “doll business to misappropriate the likeness of Black female artists.” Those claims were removed in subsequent filings, and Selna granted MGA’s motion to exclude mention of that claim at trial.

The post T.I. and Tiny L.O.L Surprise! Lawsuit Ends in Mistrial appeared first on The Source.