Lil Uzi Vert Accused of Copyright Violation for “Just Wanna Rock”

Philadelphia superstar rapper Lil Uzi Vert has been keeping a relatively low profile this year. However, in the past few days, two major lawsuits have surfaced involving the artist. The newest one is a staggering $110 million copyright case filed by Rochester, New York musician Rief Rawyal.

According to AllHipHop’s Grouchy Greg Watkins, the lawsuit centers around Lil Uzi Vert’s October 2022 hit “Just Wanna Rock.” The plaintiff, whose real name is Sharrief K. Bouchet, claims that Uzi copied significant parts of his song “Pain and Pleasure,” which was released just two months earlier, in August 2022.

“[Lil Uzi Vert] copied the original hook, melody, and theme,” the suit alleges, referencing the chant “When I rock ah ah” from “Pain and Pleasure.” To support his claim, forensic musicologist Brian McBrearty, founder of Musicologize, analyzed both songs and reported striking similarities between them.

McBrearty concluded that there was a 93–97% overlap between the two tracks, citing nearly identical tempo, structure, rhythmic patterns, and the signature “ah” chant. He also noted that both songs fall within the “allegro” range—130 to 150 beats per minute—and share the same drum pattern and rhythmic syncopation known as “tresillo.”

Lil Uzi Vert "Just Wanna Rock" Lawsuit

Additionally, McBrearty highlighted that both songs feature “first-person, present-tense declarations that end with the identical word ‘rock,’ forming a parallel lyrical structure.”

Rief Rawyal also claims that posts promoting “Pain and Pleasure” were muted or removed from Instagram and Facebook, while “Just Wanna Rock” simultaneously exploded in popularity.

The lawsuit alleges that both Atlantic Records and Lil Uzi Vert had access to Rawyal’s music prior to the song’s release. Rawyal says he collaborated with Atlantic Records and Lanre Gaba, who has served as the label’s president of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Global Music since 2012. He contends that he sent Gaba original material, including demos and completed tracks, which may have created a “clear institutional pathway” for his work to reach Uzi and their team. The suit names Lil Uzi Vert, Atlantic Records, Generation Now, Roc Nation, and Warner Music Group as defendants.

Rawyal is seeking $110 million in damages, citing lost streaming revenue, missed licensing opportunities, and damage to his reputation. He is also requesting retroactive publishing credit, partial ownership of the song, and an injunction preventing further use of “Just Wanna Rock.”

The lawsuit adds to a difficult week for Lil Uzi Vert, who is also facing a separate sexual harassment case filed by an anonymous former assistant. Roc Nation was initially listed as a co-defendant but has reportedly been dropped from that case.