Romell Caldwell, a Charlotte, North Carolina songwriter, is claiming in a lawsuit he filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York earlier this week that Plies stole a song from him.
The track in question, Bond Money, appears on the southern rapper’s 2008 mixtape 36 Ounces and according to Caldwell, he wrote and copyrighted the song under the title Dim Hits back in 2001.
Caldwell claims that he submitted a copy of the track to Trina in 2004 but never authorized the use of the track and is thereby accusing Plies and Slip-N-Slide of copying, reproducing, and distributing his work without his consent in a civil complaint filed in the United State District Court for the Southern District of New York earlier this week.
Udigg Records and 101 Distribution are also listed as defendants in the suit however fellow Slip-N-Slide artist Trina is not. He is asking for an injunction to prevent further sales of the song until the legal matter is handled in addition to damages and losses for missed licensing and sales revenue.
Plies released his fourth studio album, Goon Affiliated, in June. The LP sold over 50,000 copies in its first week and featured the hit single Becky.