Ice Spice is facing legal trouble over her breakout hit “In Ha Mood,” with two New York musicians accusing her of copyright infringement.
In a lawsuit obtained by Rolling Stone, Brooklyn-bred rapper and songwriter Duval “D.Chamberz” Chamberlain and Bronx-based sound engineer and producer Kenley “Kass the Producer” Carmenate alleged the drill superstar and her producer Riot “copied” the title, hook, chorus, phrasing, and tempo of their track “In That Mood” without permission or proper credit.
According to the 21-page complaint filed in the Eastern District of New York, D.Chamberz claims he released “In That Mood” as a single in early 2022 in connection with an advertising campaign that was never put out and later in July 2022 as part of Chamberlain’s album “Boom Bap 2 Drill Rap.”
D.Chamberz further claims he performed his song at least three dozen times in New York City, near where Ice Spice and Riot reside. Additionally, he alleges his song received airplay on Hot 97 FM, increasing the likelihood Riot encountered it.
“The similarities between ‘In Ha Mood’ and (‘In That Mood’) – including the key phrase used in the chorus and repeated in a substantially similar manner numerous times throughout both songs – are such that it is simply not reasonable to believe that ‘In Ha Mood’ could have been created without having heard (‘In That Mood’) first,” the suit stated.
“Upon information and belief, Ice Spice, Riot, and/or members of their creative teams were present for certain public performances of In That Mood during the relevant time period,” the lawsuit alleged. “Furthermore, Plaintiffs are well-known in the rap and hip-hop community and share a substantial number of undeniable connections with Defendants.”
Ice Spice’s “In Ha Mood” has achieved gold certification and garnered over 45 million YouTube views since its release in January last year. D.Chamberz seeks at least half of the song’s publishing and revenue, along with damages.
Watch the video for “In Ha Mood” below.
