Lil Nas X’s social media presence is a cup runneth over. Between his campaign to take over Twitter, his perfect comeback to Andrew Tate, or his wholesome selfie with Will Ferrell, he’s clearly way too busy to hold a grudge.
This morning, December 29, he posted a screenshot of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love” to his Instagram Story and wrote over it, “mfer sued the hell outta me but he got down on this” with two crying emojis. The soulful jazz song is the title track of Caldwell’s 1978 album.
As for what he’s talking about: In July 2019, as reported by Billboard at the time, Lil Nas X was sued by The Music Force for copyright infringement over his independently released single “Carry On.” The Music Force claimed Lil Nas X “appropriated parts” of Caldwell’s song of the same name and asked for “the court to determine that Lil Nas X’s ‘Carry On’ is a joint work.”
The lawsuit called for “at least $10 million in damages to remedy ‘confusion in the marketplace’ that it alleges completely destroyed the value of its property, as well as at least $15 million in punitive damages,” per Billboard.
The lawsuit hit the news cycle as Lil Nas X was becoming a ubiquitous star with “Old Town Road,” which netted him two Grammys, spent a record-breaking 19 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, and was RIAA’s all-time platinum-certified leader until last month.
Two-plus years later, the outcome of the lawsuit is unclear.