Frank Ocean Sues Producer Over "Blonde" Songwriting Credits: Report

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Artist Frank Ocean performs during the 2014 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on June 14, 2014 in Manchester, Tennessee.
Reports say Frank Ocean is suing a producer on "Blonde" who's seeking co-writing credits.

Frank Ocean's Blonde Album was without a doubt one of his strongest pieces of work to date. While the album was delivered on short notice and proved to be not only a critical and commercial success but a brilliant move, alongside Endless, to get him out of his contract with Def Jam. While it's been less than two years since the albums dropped, ti looks like he's now dealing with some legal issues pertaining to the project's song credits.

Frank Ocean is reportedly suing producer Om'Mas Keith for attempting to receiving songwriting credits on Blonde, according to TMZ. Apparently, Keith trying to make a case that he co-wrote a good chunk of the project. Frank says that Keith registered with ASCAP and claimed that he co-wrote 11 songs on the project including "Pink + White" and "Ivy." 

In the documents they've obtained, Frank says that he paid Keith a flat fee for his work on the master recordings. He's also making it clear that Keith didn't write any of the lyrics, melodies or any of the music on the project. His case against the producer is in an attempt to block him from receiving any sort of songwriting credits on Blonde.

Pitchfork also reached out to Frank's camp about the lawsuit. They continued to say that the claims aren't true and they'll be dealing with it in court.

"A complaint has been filed against Om’Mas Keith who has falsely stated to have written certain songs which appear on the album Blonde. These claims are untrue and this issue is being dealt with by litigators." The statement read. However, no comment has been issued on behalf of Keith as of yet. We'll keep you posted. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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