Late American rappers XXXTentacion and Lil Peep are being sued. A lawsuit has been filed by Richard Jaden Hoff (K.R.I.O.). Hoff claims rappers’ hit song “Falling Down” featured a guitar riff off his 2018 track “Under My Breath” and sampled it in the single without Hoff’s authorization.
Peep’s sophomore album Come Over When You’re Sober, Pt. 2., features the collaborative bonus track. The single has over 200 million views on YouTube and peaked No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Columbia Records, Sony Entertainment, and several renowned producers from the album are also listed on the lawsuit as defendants. Mike Will Made-It is amongst the producers too.
The Background Story
Richard Hoff released his single “Under My Breath” on SoundCloud in June of 2018. Three months later, “Falling Down” was released on major streaming platforms. Remakes of the song have since been released, such as the version featuring Travis Barker adding drums to the music. Although iLoveMakonnen gave his blessing to release the track, neither artist is named in the lawsuit. These accusations are highly questionable since the rappers being sued are both deceased. Chillingly, Hoff refers to the rappers as if they are alive, claiming they are receiving royalties. The rappers’ estates are not included in the lawsuit.
Lil Peep died in 2017 of a drug overdose, and XXXTentacion was shot and killed just days after the release of Hoff’s song. Unfortunately, neither rapper would see success following the release of the song. Several lawsuits have risen since the rappers’ death, including wrongful death suits from Peep’s family and X’s family’s claims to his estate. Will the rappers rest in peace?
Around 2 months ago, X’s single “Changes” hit 1 billion streams on Spotify. His tracks “Sad!,” “Moonlight,” and “Jocelyn Flores” have also surpassed the billion-stream milestone on Spotify. Be sure to read more here.
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Written by Antoinette Ford.