Chris Brown Settles Royalty Dispute Over ‘Monalisa’ and ‘Sensational’

A copyright lawsuit over two songs from Chris Brown’s recent catalog has ended quietly before trial. The singer and Universal Music Group have reached a “settlement in principle” with lyricist Steve Chokpelle, who claimed he was cut out of the writing credits and revenue from “Monalisa” and “Sensational.”

Chokpelle filed his complaint in February, alleging that Brown asked him to compose lyrics at his Los Angeles home in 2020, with fellow musician Sean Kingston present. According to the suit, Chokpelle wrote for a track that became “Monalisa,” whose remix with Nigerian artists Lojay and Sarz peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart. He further alleged he penned a follow-up, “Sensational,” which Brown later recorded with Lojay and included on his 2023 album 11:11. That song topped the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and generated more than $1 million in revenue, the suit claimed, while Chokpelle received no payment or writer’s credit.

Brown’s legal team had moved to dismiss in March, partly arguing that the three-year statute of limitations on copyright ownership claims had expired. The undisclosed terms announced in the new court filing resolve all claims against Brown and the label, ending the dispute without a judicial ruling on the merits. The case reflects a recurring tension in contemporary music creation, where contributions from lesser-known writers can become entangled in major-label chains of credit — and where settlement often replaces clarification.