2 Chainz, Offset Dodge Copyright Suit Over ‘Proud’ Song, Lyrics

2 Chainz, Offset, and UMG Recordings Inc. convinced a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss a copyright infringement suit brought by a hip-hop artist who alleged their 2018 track “Proud” ripped off his 2015 song of the same name.

Soloman Clanton, professionally known as Slugga, claimed that 2 Chainz and Offset directly copied his lyric “I’m tryna make my momma proud.” But this expression isn’t original enough to be protected by copyright law, Judge Lewis J. Liman said Monday.

Copyright doesn’t protect general ideas and themes like “familial love or pride,” which has been used in artistic works for centuries, ...