Got her good! Jermaine Dupri called out Ciara in a major way this past weekend.
The veteran hip-hop artist and producer, 42, took shots at the "I'm Out" performer, 29, in a new interview focused on the changing landscape of music copyright practices. Dupri was discussing the talked-about case involving Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and the late Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up," when he turned the conversation with the Associated Press to Ciara.
"Ciara's new single is a complete rip-off of Usher's 'U Got It Bad,'" the music maker told the AP bluntly. Dupri boasts writing and producing credits for Usher's smash 2001 single. The track helped the R&B crooner's 8701 album go multiplatinum, and individually hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
"I'm clear on what I made and I'm clear on how music influences people and I'm clear on chord changes and how people move things," Dupri continued to the AP. "It might not be as evident as the 'Blurred Lines' situation, but I believe the same thing happened to me."
Thicke and his team made headlines earlier this month when they were ordered to pay Gaye's family $7.4 million in royalties from the huge success of "Blurred Lines." A judge ruled in favor of Gaye's estate, noting enough similarities between the 2013 hit single and the 1970s classic "Got to Give It Up."
While there has been no official comment from Usher, 36, or co-producer Bryan-Michael Cox, Dupri told the AP that all three of the musicians saw similarities between their song and Ciara's latest single. He also added that he is going to be in touch with Ciara and her collaborators over the track.
"I Bet" is the first cut off of Ciara's upcoming Jackie album, her sixth studio effort. A tribute to the singer's mother, Jackie is expected to hit stores in May. Take a listen to "I Bet" in contrast to "U Got It Bad" in the videos above and judge for yourself.
