Before the massive success of her meme-making hit “Truth Hurts,” Lizzo says she almost quit making music because the song took so long to catch on with audiences. Now, it’s a No. 1 hit — in fact, the longest-running No. 1 by a solo female rapper ever — but its success is coming with its own measure of stress. The Guardian surfaced a post on Instagram from Justin Raisen, a songwriter and producer who claims that he’s been in a dispute with Lizzo over royalties from the record since 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3oRS_0liE_/?utm_source=ig_embed
According to Raisen, he and Lizzo previously co-wrote on another song called “Healthy,” from which he says she borrowed the now-iconic opening line “I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch” and melody, albeit sung in a different key. In the caption of the Instagram video, which allegedly depicts Lizzo and Raisen working on “Healthy” together in 2017, Raisen says, “We were never contacted about being credited for the use of the parts of ‘Healthy’ (melody, lyrics, and chords) that appear in ‘Truth Hurts,'” and that he only 5% of the credit for the elements of “Healthy” contained in “Truth Hurts.” He also says that his goal is not to “throw any negativity toward Lizzo’s momentum and movement as a cultural figure,” but that “coming forward publicly to family, friends, artists, and colleagues seems to be the only way at this point in relieving some of our emotional distress caused by this.”
Per The Guardian, Lizzo was also accused of plagiarism in 2018 by British singer Mina Lioness, who says she initially tweeted the “100% that bitch” phrase in 2017. Lizzo says that she was inspired by a meme on Instagram. The Guardian also notes that through label representatives, Lizzo declined to comment. As of press time, she has not responded via social media.
Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. .
