Beyoncé and Big Freedia face a copyright infringement lawsuit from New Orleans bounce group Da Showstoppaz over alleged unauthorized use of their 2002 song "Release a Wiggle" in both "Explode" and "Break My Soul."

The lawsuit, filed in Louisiana federal court, claims that elements of "Release a Wiggle" were first used without permission in Big Freedia's "Explode," and subsequently sampled in Beyoncé's "Break My Soul" from her Renaissance album.

Key points of the lawsuit:

• Da Showstoppaz created "Release a Wiggle" in July 2002 for a local mixtape
• The song was uploaded to YouTube in March 2014
• The plaintiffs allege "Explode" infringes on their song twelve times
• The phrase "release yo' wiggle" is central to the infringement claim
• The song was officially registered with the Copyright Office in 2022-2023

The lawsuit names multiple defendants including:

• Beyoncé
• Big Freedia
• Jay-Z
• Sony Music
• Kobalt

Da Showstoppaz claim they attempted to resolve the matter outside of court before filing the lawsuit. The group alleges that "any reasonable person" would conclude the songs are substantially similar.

This case joins recent music copyright disputes, including a settled Universal Music lawsuit over a Kanye West sample and a Daddy Yankee infringement suit regarding "Bailar Contigo."

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