Chris Brown has earned his first-ever Diamond plaque thanks to his successful collaboration with Drake on the 2019 hit single No Guidance.
On Tuesday, November 12, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) officially recognized the track for surpassing 10 million units sold, with the song now sitting at an impressive 11 million. This milestone marks a significant achievement in Brown’s career.
However, celebrating this accomplishment comes at a time when Brown and Drake face legal challenges. Two independent artists, Tykeiya Dore and Marc Stephens recently filed a lawsuit claiming that No Guidance ripped off their 2016 track I Got It.
The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey, alleges that Brown, Drake, and other songwriters took key elements from “ including the main lyric, which was altered from “I got it” to “You got it.” The claim also includes accusations of similarity in the song’s chord progressions, melody, structure, and rhythm.
Dore and Stephens argue that the two songs are “substantially similar,” pointing to a YouTube video that was later deleted, which they say highlights the similarities.
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The lawsuit names Brown and Drake, as well as Velous, Nija Charles, and Michee Lebrun, the song’s co-writers, and producers Noah “40” Shebib, Vinylz, J-Louis, and Teddy Walton. It also includes RCA Records and several music publishers connected to No Guidance.
The complaint suggests that Vinylz discovered “I Got It” through a YouTube channel owned by Benji Filmz, and that Charles received a copy of the track from Dore’s uncle, Jesse Spruils. After “No Guidance” was released, Spruils allegedly confronted Charles, claiming that the chorus was stolen from his niece’s song. However, Spruils reportedly didn’t inform Dore about the situation due to embarrassment and humiliation.
