Rihanna has been accused of stealing her new single "B---h Better Have My Money" from rapper Just Brittany's mixtape track "Betta Have My Money." It appears, however, that Just Brittany was not the first one to use a similar title.
In 1991, Jason Lewis, known for his rapper name AMG, released his debut album titled "B---h Betta Have My Money." His third album released through Lightyear Records on Dec. 5, 2000 was also titled "B---h Betta Have My Money."
The plagiarism accusation against Rihanna was not from Just Brittany herself. It was from her fans who are running a Twitter account for the less known rapper. They tweeted that Rihanna copied "Betta Have My Money" but later on deleted the tweet.
Aside from the identical titles, Rihanna's "B---h Better Have My Money" and Just Brittany's "Betta have My Money" appear to also have similar hooks and club banger beat although the latter's melody is faster, according to I4U News.
"B---h Better Have My Money" is from Rihanna's eight studio album. It was co-written by Rihanna with Jamille Piere, Badrilla Bourelly, and Travis Scott, who co-produced it with Kanye West, WondaGurl and Deputy.
Neither Rihanna nor Just Brittany has commented on the issue.
"Happy" hit maker Pharrell Williams has faced the same plagiarism accusation with Robin Thicke. In March, a jury determined that Williams and Thicke copied Marvin Gaye's music to create "Blurred Lines" and awarded Gaye's children $7.4 million. On the other hand, the record company and rapper T.I. were cleared of infringement charges.
Earning over $16 million, "Blurred Lines" was considered the biggest song of 2013, according to Forbes.