A rap group is suing Bruno Mars and producer/songwriter Mark Ronson, claiming they jacked one of their songs for their mega-hit “Uptown Funk.”
The Sequence released a record titled “Funk You Up” in 1979, and now the band members have taken legal action, alleging that Mars and Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” has “significant and substantially similar compositional elements” to their song.
According to TMZ, the group is seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages.
It’s not the first time Mars and Ronson have been sued for “Uptown Funk.” 80s funk band Collage filed suit claiming parts of their 1983 song “Young Girls” was unauthorizedly used in “Uptown Funk.”
Ronson was also sued for “Uptown Funk” by a British producer, who accused him of stealing elements of Roger Troutman and Zapp’s “More Bounce to the Ounce” for the award-winning song. Mars was not named in that case.
To protect their earnings, Ronson and Mars previously added legendary funk masters Charlie, Robert, and Ronnie Wilson of The Gap Band to the credits as contributors to “Uptown Funk,” giving credit to the fact they used elements of the veteran band’s 1979 track “Oops Up Side Your Head.” Keyboardist Rudolph Taylor and producer Lonnie Simmons, who also played a part in “Opps,” are also listed.
Along with the Gap Band, rapper Trinidad James (listed as Nicholas Williams on the credits) along with producer Devon Gallaspy also got a credit for the use of a sample of James’ track “All Gold Everything.”
Since 2005, Singersroom has been the voice of R&B around the world. Connect with us via social media below.
