Why Travis Scott, SZA, and Future Are Being Taken to Task Over This One Hit Song

Victory Boyd claims that lyrics from her 2019 song, “Like The Way It Sounds,” were used on Scott’s 2023 track, “TELEKINESIS.”

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An artist signed to Roc Nation is claiming that she’s partly responsible for one of Travis Scott’s recent hits.

In a copyright lawsuit filed on Wednesday, Victory Boyd is claiming that Scott, SZA, and Future copied the lyrics and melody from her 2019 song “Like The Way It Sounds” and used it on “TELEKINESIS” without her permission, according to Billboard.

Travis Scott - TELEKINESIS (Official Audio) ft. SZA, Future

Initially, Boyd claims that she shared the track with Kanye West, who then wrote a song titled “Ultrasounds.” West then played and shared the song with the Houston rapper, who introduced the track to SZA and Future who then collaborated to create “TELEKINESIS.”

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West is not named in the lawsuit.

More from Billboard:

“Scott gained access to the studio plaintiff left the original work in and began creating the infringing work,” Boyd’s lawyers write. “In May of 2023, Scott, SZA and Future agreed to create the infringing work by copying plaintiff’s original work.”

Notably, the lawsuit says the stars have essentially admitted to using her song. When “Telekinesis” was first uploaded to streaming platforms, Boyd’s lawyers say she was credited as a co-writer in the metadata. More recently, they say she’s been offered an 8 percent songwriting credit to resolve the dispute.

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Furthermore, Boyd has also named Swiss watch company Audemars Piguet, who used “TELEKINESIS” in several ad videos despite her publisher denying the request for them to use it.

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Per the report from Billboard, the lawsuit states, “The defendants and AP partnered to publish and commercially release an advertising campaign broadcasting the infringing work over the plaintiff’s objection.”

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So what does Boyd want from this? She wants all the defendants named to destroy all the works that came from her original track and also wants to be paid “an amount to be determined at trial in actual damages and profits, plus interest,” according to the lawsuit.

Unfortunately for those who want to listen to and compare the two tracks, Boyd’s track was never officially released by Roc Nation.