Nicki Minaj is being sued for over $200 million over her song “Rich Sex” according to TMZ. Queens rapper Brinx Billions claims to have been the sole writer of the song, which appeared on Nicki’s 2018 album Queen. Brinx says he played Nicki his version of the song in 2016, that the more famous rapper expressed interest in the “extremely marketable” song, then put it on the album. However, Billions — real name Jawara Headley — is listed as a writer on the song according to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers).
Billions says that he first met Minaj in 2007 via MySpace and is demanding $200 million from Nicki and her labels, Cash Money, Young Money, and Universal Music Group. It’s possible that he feels he’s owed a higher percentage of the royalties he’s already received — or, as with so many other Cash Money collaborators, royalties that he was never paid. Unfortunately for Nicki, the label’s head Birdman has a longstanding reputation of withholding royalties from even his own artists, including Drake and Lil Wayne. In 2016, David Banner was awarded $160,000 in unpaid royalties after winning a judgment against Young Money, a subsidiary of Cash Money, while in 2019, Cash Money was forced to settle a lawsuit with Toronto star Drake’s old managers over missing money.
Ultimately, it doesn’t seem likely Brinx will get as much as he’s looking for — the song peaked at No. 56 on the Hot 100 and has probably not generated enough streaming revenue to warrant such an exorbitant price, but the rapper may just be looking for his own settlement for whatever royalties he feels he hasn’t received. Meanwhile, Nicki appears to be preparing to release new music soon after taking a few years “off” to support her new son.