Bossman Dlow is accused of stealing his hit record “The Biggest” from the New Orleans rap group Dog House Posse.
Bossman Dlow is being sued in federal court in Los Angeles for copyright infringement after Louisiana music executive Ivory “Mobo Joe” Paynes accused him of stealing from the 1990s Dog House Posse song “Street of Westbank” to create his hit “The Biggest.”
Paynes filed the complaint against Dlow, producer Gentle Beatz, Alamo Records, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music Publishing and Too Slippery Entertainment, alleging they released, distributed and profited from a work that used unlicensed samples from his catalog.
He contends the melody, instrumentation, arrangement and orchestration in “The Biggest” match key components of “Street of Westbank.”
According to the lawsuit, “The Biggest” appeared on Dlow’s album Too Slippery on January 1, 2023, and was pushed across all major streaming platforms.
Paynes says none of the defendants secured permission to use the underlying material from the early 1990s recording, which he controls through his label Mobo Joe Records.
The filing states that the 1992 Dog House Posse recording agreement assigned full ownership of the group’s compositions and masters to Paynes, including “Street of Westbank.”
He claims the opening piano, cello and bass lines in his track appear at the start of “The Biggest” and repeat throughout the song, creating an unauthorized derivative.
Paynes also argues that the defendants benefited from exposure, sales, and streaming revenue tied to the release, and that Sony Music and Alamo supervised and distributed the infringing work.
The lawsuit seeks damages, profits, attorney fees, and an injunction stopping the continued distribution of the track. It claims the infringement is ongoing because “The Biggest” remains active on streaming services.
Paynes has taken similar legal action before.
GloRilla prevailed on a technicality, which allowed Paynes to pursue the matter again if he chooses to.
