Back in March of last year, Young Dolph unleashed his Juicy J-produced collaboration with Megan thee Stallion “RNB.” Featured on his project Rich Slave that arrived later that summer, the song went on to be a hit for the artists. A year after its release, however, the Memphis rapper and the Houston Hottie were hit with a $600,000 lawsuit from a band accusing them of ripping off the melody of their song.
The goth band Midnight Syndicate claimed that Juicy J used their track “Nocterm Aeternus” and intentionally used over 94% of the recording to make “RNB.” The group was particularly offended that no one bothered to contact them to seek licenses and permission to use the sample of one of their most popular songs. Luckily for Dolph and Megan, new reports confirm that the case has been dismissed.
According to new court filings, Dolph, who is the lead artist on the track, and Midnight Syndicate have reached a settlement over the case. Last week, the judge presiding the case dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, which means that the suit cannot be refiled.
Additionally, the terms of the settlement are confidential, so there’s no telling if Dolph, Megan, or Juicy J had to fork over any money.
In the original complaint filed by the band’s lawyer, it read, “Defendants’ acts of infringement were and are willful because Defendants Juicy J and/or Young Dolph (in concert with one or more of the other Defendants) knew they did not own the Copyrighted Noctem Aeternus Recording and Copyrighted Noctem Aeternus Composition, yet they still created ‘RNB’ (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)” entirely based on Plaintiff’s copyrights without Plaintiff’s permission and without ever seeking permission.
“Defendants’ sample was not merely a few seconds but lasted for the entire duration of “RNB (feat. Megan Thee Stallion),” it finished. They were previously looking to remove the single from record stores and streaming platforms until a settlement was reached, but lucky for the trappers, they scored a pretty sweet deal in the end.
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