Chris Brown is currently involved in a legal dispute.
The singer from the United States is being sued by songwriter Steve Chokpelle, who claims that he has not received royalties for two of Brown’s popular tracks, “Sensational” and “Monalisa.”
Recently, Chokpelle initiated legal action, stating that he composed the lyrics for “Monalisa” in 2020 at Brown’s residence in California, yet is not acknowledged on the track.
Additionally, Chokpelle asserts that he wrote the lyrics for “Sensational” in 2023, which became a hit with the help of producer Onyekachi Emenalo, also known as Krazytunez, before he shared it with the artist.
Although Chokpelle’s name appears as a composer for “Sensational,” he argues that he was deliberately left out of the song’s copyright registration and has not received any earnings from it.
In the lawsuit, Chokpelle is requesting a court ruling to be recognized as a co-author and shared copyright owner of both “Monalisa” and “Sensational.”
“Defendants sustained a tremendous benefit, and shall continue to receive tremendous benefit, by [earning] millions in revenues, acclaim, accolades and goodwill from the commercial exploitation of ‘Monalisa’ and ‘Sensational’.
“As a result of defendants’ failure to acknowledge plaintiff’s authorship and copyright ownership interests, and by their failure to compensate plaintiff, defendants have been unjustly enriched,” the lawsuit claims, as reported by various online sources.
Moreover, he is seeking a minimum of $1 million (around R16 million) in damages from Brown, Kingston, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), citing claims of unjust enrichment and fraud.
This lawsuit adds to a series of legal challenges that the artist known for “Residuals” has encountered in recent years.
In 2025, the acclaimed singer was also taken to court for trademark infringement.
A US-based swimwear brand called Breezy Swim alleged that Brown’s use of the name “Breezy Bowl” for his tour conflicts with its branding for an annual fashion event with the same title.
The R&B singer’s representatives have not yet made any public comments regarding either lawsuit.
