Man sues Taylor Swift over "Shake It Off" lyrics
R&B artist Jesse Graham is suing Taylor Swift for $42 million over her hit song "Shake It Off."
Graham claims that Swift ripped off the lyrics from his song "Haters Gone Hate," which includes the lines "Haters gonna hate, players gonna play," reports the Daily News.
Graham wrote the slow-jam song in 2013, and the unsigned artist is not well-known. Still, he pointed out that Swift's chorus from "Shake It Off" is stolen, and that she uses the same hook as his about 72 times in her song.
The 50-year-old musician told the Daily News, "If I didn't write the song 'Haters Gone Hate,' there wouldn't be a song called 'Shake It Off.'"
Initially, Graham asked Swift for a writing credit on her album and a selfie with the singer, but he was denied. Now, he's upping the ante to $42 million and says that Swift is "definitely trolling" him.
This isn't the only lawsuit Graham has in the works. He is also suing CNN for using the name "New Day" for its morning show -- the church organization he runs is called New Day Worldwide.
Doesn't Graham know that the 2000 song "Playas Gon Play" by 3LW also features the lines, "Playas, they gonna play / And haters, they gonna hate"? Oh well: There's always a "New Day" for Graham if this doesn't work out.
You can listen to Graham's song below. Do you think Swift stole his lyrics?