Miley Cyrus has arrived at a $300 million settlement over her song “We Can’t Stop” and we are shook.
The singer was slammed with a lawsuit by Michael May, better known as Flourgon, a Jamaican singer, songwriter who claims that Cyrus’ hit single is a blank copy of his original 1988 hit “We Run Things”.
“We Run Things” is a reggae hit produced and performed by May and hit No.1 in his country at the time of release. May accused Cyrus and her record label – RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Corp, of misusing previously recorded material.
One of the most glaring similarities between the two tracks is the line “We run things. Things don’t run we,” which when compared to the line from his original has barely been changed – “We run things. Things no run we.”
Cyrus’ 2013 hit peaked at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single as well as the album was commercially successful, earning Miley millions in sales, streaming royalties and ticket sales from a massive world tour.
The two parties – May and Cyrus as well as their respective teams reached a settlement in court on Friday, closing the case with prejudice, meaning that post-settlement, it cannot be filed again. The settlement includes a sum of $300 million dollars.