Roddy Ricch is facing a new lawsuit for allegedly not thinking outside of his 2019 single, “The Box.” A musician named Greg Perry filed the claim against Ricch, Atlantic Records, and producer 30 Roc, alleging that Ricch copied his 1975 song “Come On Down.” Specifically, Perry has noted it as a copyright infringement for mirroring the violin instrumental at the beginning.
“Expert musicology analysis confirms that the ascending minor scale played by violin at the opening of ‘Come On Down’ is a distinctive musical element which recurs a total of six times throughout the song,” the lawsuit reads, according to Rolling Stone.
“Comparative analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook, rhythmic structure, metrical placement, and narrative context by a musicology expert demonstrates clearly and convincingly that ‘The Box’ is an unauthorized duplication and infringement of certain elements of ‘Come On Down,’” the document also states.
Perry’s “Come On Down” isn’t a random pick either. The song has been frequently referenced in rap, from Epic Records giving him 60 percent interest in Young Jeezy’s 2008 song, “Wordplay,” to Epic Records obtaining a sample for Yo Gotti’s “I Remember.”
“The use of the distinctive compositional elements of ‘Come On Down’ have remained so popular in both the R&B and rap community that access to the composition is firmly established,” Perry’s lawsuit mentions about the song’s usage.
Listen to the two songs below.
Roddy Ricch is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.