Rihanna Joins Lady Gaga In Accusations Of Plagiarism
Rihanna‘s latest single may be topping the iTunes charts, but she is being accused of plagiarizing her song from an R&B performer called Just Brittany. Gossip Cop explains the controversy.
“Rihanna is being accused of stealing ‘B**ch Better Have My Money.’ A number of Internet observers and news outlets are pointing to similarities between the superstar’s new track and ‘Betta Have My Money,’ released last year by Houston-based R&B performer Just Brittany.”
When Rihanna’s new song came out, many thought it would instantly tank. The song wasn’t received well by commenters on the Huffington Post and other sites.
“She can’t sing at all, sounds like a pitchy teenage girl trying to get ‘turnt up’ FOH. Still beautiful and a boss, but there’s a limit. lol,” said one Huffington Post user.
“I have to say, as a fan, I’m a little disappointed. This track does nothing for me,” said another poster.
The comments on virtually all social media sites were horrible. However, Rihanna beat the odds and “B**ch Better Have My Money” had been No. 1 on iTunes for more than a week before dropping to No. 2. The song is also taking off at radio as well and is expected to be in the top ten on Billboard‘s Hot 100 next week. But Rihanna may have to pay a huge price.
There has been a lot of backlash against plagiarism over the past five years. When Lady Gaga released “Born This Way,” many people thought it sounded way too similar to “Express Yourself” by Madonna. Lady Gaga denied the accusations, but Madonna sang both songs back-to-back on her MDNA Tour to prove the songs are very much alike.
In 2013, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Willliams scored one of the biggest hits of all time with “Blurred Lines.” Many listeners thought that the song was very similar to “Got To Give It Up” by Marvin Gaye. As the New York Times points out, a judge recognized the similarity to Marvin Gaye‘s song as well and the ruling was very important.
“But the ruling also brought up complex and hard-to-resolve issues about how popular music is understood, identified and protected — how it shouldn’t be copied, and perhaps how it needs to be.”
Rihanna won’t be the last pop star to be accused of plagiarism, but a lawsuit could hurt her already (sort of) dwindling career. Before Lady Gaga was accused of plagiarsim, she was the hottest pop star on the planet. Gaga is destined for a long career, but she definitely fell off her pedestal after the plagiarism accusations, which never went to court. Do you think Rihanna is guilty of plagiarism? Let us know in the comments section.
[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]
