wecastonlineBeyoncé, Jay-Z, and Big Freedia are being sued by a former New Orleans-based group alleging copyright infringement over the use of the phrase “release a wiggle.”
According to the federal copyright lawsuit filed on May 22 in the Eastern District of Louisiana, the bounce group Da Showstoppaz accuses Big Freedia of unlawfully using the three-word phrase in her 2014 song “Explode.” The plaintiffs, Tessa Avie, Keva Bourgeois, Henri Braggs, and Brian Clark, claim Big Freedia took the phrase from their 2002 single “Release A Wiggle,” which was featured on a mixtape sold by BlackHouse Entertainment.
The complaint states, “‘Explode’ infringes on Da Showstoppaz’s ‘Release A Wiggle’ twelve times, as the infringing phrase ‘release yo’ wiggle’ and several other substantially similar phrases are featured prominently in the song and evenly spread out across Explode’s furious two-minute and forty-seven second runtime. Any reasonable person listening to ‘Release A Wiggle’ and ‘Explode’ would conclude that the songs are substantially similar.”
Beyoncé sampled Big Freedia’s “Explode” in her hit song “Break My Soul” from her 2022 album “Renaissance,” which has led to her inclusion in the lawsuit. Jay-Z, credited as a writer and producer on the album, is also named in the suit, along with other affiliated individuals and companies.
The suit claims, “Da Showstoppaz have a copyright to their unique and distinctive lyrics and musical composition, ‘Release A Wiggle.’ Big Freedia had access to ‘Release A Wiggle,’ which was subsequently sampled by ‘Break My Soul’ by Mrs. Carter. Therefore, by copying ‘Release A Wiggle” in ‘Explode,’ Big Freedia infringed on Da Showstoppaz’s copyrights.”
The group is seeking to be credited on both “Explode” and “Break My Soul” and to receive royalties for future uses of both songs. They are also asking for damages related to the profits made by Big Freedia and Beyoncé from these songs, including revenue from Beyoncé’s corresponding tour and film, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.”
