Why is Rodney O suing Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin? Rapper's lawsuit over Like That explored
Rodney O is reportedly suing Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin for unpaid royalties over the track Like That, which samples his and Joe Cooley's song, Everlasting Bass. The song Like That (from Future and Metro Boomin's album We Don't Trust You) went viral due to Kendrick Lamar's incendiary verse. It also kickstarted his rap beef with Drake in early 2024.
According to an exclusive report published by TMZ on May 7, Rodney O claimed he was unaware of Kendrick Lamar's involvement in Like That. He also alleged that Epic Records (the record label that distributed the song) only sent him Future's part of the song. He went on to claim that he did not know Lamar was a part of the track till a day before its release in March 2024.
“[Epic] tried to rush to get it. They sent me the song, and the song only had Future on it. You know what I mean? I didn't even know Kendrick was on it till a day before when somebody called and said, 'Man, I heard Kendrick is on the record' and I said, 'No, I have the record',” Rodney O recalled.
Rodney O continued he would have appreciated the opportunity to say "yay or nay" to whether he wanted to be included in the track that instigated the rap beef. He said that the song that they sent him was the one that "they were supposed to release," adding that the song they ended up releasing was the one with Kendrick Lamar.
"Talking about nobody was privy to hearing the song but Metro and Future's team. But, I'm the rights holder to Everlasting Bass, so you gotta let me hear it so I can say yay or nay. Now everybody would want Kendrick on their song, I understand that, but say I was cool with Drake. Give me that option to say yay or nay," the artist said.
"It pains me to even hear it" — Rodney O about Kendrick Lamar's Like That
The release of Like That set in motion one of the most notable diss battles of recent times after Kendrick Lamar took shots at Drake and J. Cole for their song First Person Shooter. In the track, J. Cole had likened the three rappers to the "big three" in the music industry, which Lamar refuted on Like That with the line:
"Motherf**k the big three, n***a, it's just big me."
Like That's success included a No.1 spot on Billboard Hot 100 following its release. It was followed by a series of back-and-forth diss tracks between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, where the former was popularly crowned the winner.
However, the diss battle was not enjoyable for all, including Rodney O, whose song Everlasting Bass was sampled on Like That. According to TMZ, the rapper is reportedly suing Lamar, Metro, and Future for unpaid royalties.
During his TMZ interview, he continued that it "pains [him]" to hear Like That because he had yet to receive any royalties from the hit song.
“It pains me to even hear it because I haven’t been getting paid my royalties," he added.
He accused the record label and his fellow rappers of being disrespectful to old school artists by not being transparent with him. Rodney O also claimed his name was left off the writing credits when the song was nominated for two Grammys this year.
However, according to TMZ, a rep for Metro Boomin claimed Rodney O was paid $50K for the sample clearance, with both him and Joe Cooley receiving writing credits when the song was released.
Rodney O accused of copyright infringement after Like That's release
Rodney O's legal troubles began when singer Barry White's estate filed a copyright infringement lawsuit over Like That. Filed in October 2024, the suit alleged Everlasting Bass stole "key elements" from White’s 1973 track I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby.
The lawsuit alleged that Like That was also guilty of copyright infringement due to the use of the alleged infringing Everlasting Bass sample, stating:
“'Like That' copies substantial elements of ‘I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Babe’… including but not limited to the iconic, immediately recognizable bass line.”
It also claimed the estate came to know about Everlasting Bass due to Like That's popularity.
“Since the Defendants’ song, Everlasting Bass, was released prior to the internet and was not widely distributed, the Barry White Trust was unaware of the song when it was first released,” it stated.
While Like That was mentioned in the lawsuit, Kendrick Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin were not named. The estate's complaint claimed that Rodney O and Joe Cooley agreed to shoulder any legal troubles when they cleared the sample for the song.
In other news, Kendrick Lamar is currently on the Grand National Tour with SZA. The tour has been breaking records, with its first show in Minneapolis on April 19 becoming the "highest-grossing hip-hop concert of all time" after grossing $9 million.
The next show is at the MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 8, 2025.
