CeCe Peniston Says Lizzo Stole Her Riff From “Finally” And Used It On “Juice”
You know you’ve made it as a legitimate pop star when people start popping out from behind the bushes to hand you a manila envelope while yelling “you got served” with no intention of challenging you to a dance off. And you know you’ve almost made it when people start accusing you of plagiarism on the internet. Lizzo’s not quite breathing the same rarefied air as Katy Perry just yet, but she’s popular enough that she’s being accused of copyright infringement by CeCe Peniston via Instagram.
This is the second accusation of thievery Lizzo’s faced in as many months. In September, British singer Mina Lioness accused Lizzo of stealing her “100% that bitch” joke from a viral tweet, and using it as a lyric in her hit song Truth Hurts. Now, CeCe says that in the song Juice, Lizzo used her signature “yai-yai” vocal riff from her 1992 club hit Finally, calling it “a clear example of #copyrightinfringement”. However, until #InstagramCourt or #TrialByTwitter become legitimate legal entities, Lizzo’s still got some time before she’s standing out on the corner with a tin cup collecting loose change to help pay her legal fees.
Here’s CeCe post comparing the two.
Honestly, every time I hear Juice I do automatically picture Terence Stamp in full drag, so CeCe has got a point! And according to Billboard, I’m not the only one who assumed Lizzo’s “yai-yai” was, at the very least, a vetted and cleared, intentional homage to Finally.
R&B singer-songwriter India.Arie commented on the post in support, writing, “I thought she interpolated it intentionally and paid you for it. I hate that ANY one would not automatically KNOW this IS a signature of yours. Clearly. But as musicians i guess we hear it more clearly.”
CeCe also posted this which further elaborates on her claims.
While she very well may have a point, unless Lizzo orders from Postmates again and the driver actually turns out to be a process server in disguise, those Absolute checks are going to keep showing up “Pay to the order of That Bitch”. And it looks like, for the time being, CeCe is content to fight this battle in the court of public opinion. She followed up with this yesterday.
Maybe CeCe’s waiting for Atlantic Records to respond to being tagged, hoping they’ll jump in and pick up the tab for any real legal action. In the meantime, I’ll take my “yai yai“s with a side of Guy Pearce sliding down a shoe.
Pic: Wenn.com