The estate of the legendary Barry White has filed a lawsuit over allegations that the iconic singer’s music was improperly sampled in Future and Metro Boomin’s chart-topping track “Like That.” Surprisingly, however, the case does not target the stars of the song.
According to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court last week, White’s estate claims that elements of White’s 1973 hit “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby” were used without permission by Rodney-O (Rodney Oliver) and Joe Cooley for their 1986 hip-hop song “Everlasting Bass.” This same track was heavily sampled in “Like That,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year.
Attorneys for White’s estate, which was estimated to be worth $20 million at the tie of White’s death in 2003, explained that they waited nearly 40 years to file the lawsuit because “Everlasting Bass” was released in an era before the internet and was “not widely distributed,” leaving the estate “unaware of the song when it was first released,” Billboard reported. However, the estate became aware of the song’s existence after it was sampled in Future and Metro Boomin’s hit, as “Everlasting Bass” was prominently featured, with Rodney-O and Joe Cooley credited as co-writers of “Like That.”
The lawsuit claims that by using an infringing sample, “Like That” also infringes White’s copyrights: “‘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,” the complaint states, according to Billboard.
While White’s estate accuses Rodney-O and Joe Cooley of infringement, it has notably not placed any blame on Future, Metro Boomin, or co-creator Kendrick Lamar, who are behind “Like That.” The estate argues that the duo agreed to defend Future and his collaborators against any legal claims when they cleared the sample.
Released in March as part of Future and Metro Boomin’s collaborative album “We Don’t Trust You,” “Like That” quickly ascended the charts, holding the No. 1 spot for three weeks. While much attention was paid to the track’s lyrics — fueling a diss war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake — the underlying music from “Everlasting Bass” has a rich history in Hip-Hop, having been sampled by artists like Three 6 Mafia, Lil Wayne, and E-40.
As for White’s “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby,” the song remains one of the late singer’s best-known hits. Peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100 in June 1973, it spent 18 weeks on the chart and is considered a classic of White’s career.