Songwriter Files Lawsuit Against Chris Brown Over Unpaid Royalties

Steve Chokpelle took Chris Brown to court Wednesday. The suit landed in Manhattan federal court, claiming the R&B star stiffed him on payments for writing two songs that raked in millions. Brown isn't facing this alone — Sean Kingston, Sony Music Entertainment, and Universal Music Publishing Group are all named in the complaint.

According to Chokpelle, he penned lyrics for "Monalisa" back in 2020. The writing session happened at Brown's Tarzana, California, house with Kingston there too. The track dropped on June 4, 2021. A 2022 remix followed, bringing Nigerian artists Lojay and Sarz into the mix, and that version hit Number Eight on Billboard's U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart while climbing to Number 38 on Billboard's Rhythmic Airplay chart.

Chokpelle claims he also wrote "Sensational" in 2023. He worked with producer Onyekachi Emenalo, who goes by Krazytunez. Brown heard a demo, then cut his own version with Lojay for his 2023 album 11:11. That track shot to Number One on Billboard's Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and made it to Number 71 on the Hot 100.

"Sensational" pulled in over $1 million. Yet Chokpelle says he got nothing. He appears on the song's credits as a composer, but someone left him off the copyright registration papers.

The 13-page complaint says defendants made "millions in revenues, acclaim, accolades and goodwill from the commercial exploitation" of both tracks. Chokpelle wants a court order declaring him an author and copyright owner.

The songwriter — who sometimes uses the name Muse — is after at least $1 million in damages. His lawyer Simon J. Rosen filed the complaint, which demands a full accounting of all money earned from both songs, including claims of unjust enrichment and fraud.

Brown's representatives didn't respond to requests for comment. Neither did Sony Music Entertainment or Universal Music Publishing Group.