Who is Rief Rawyal? The Musician Suing Lil Uzi Vert Over ‘Just Wanna Rock’

Rochester, New York – Musician Rief Rawyal has filed a $110 million lawsuit against rapper Lil Uzi Vert, claiming that the 2022 hit Just Wanna Rock copied his earlier song Pain and Pleasure. Rawyal alleges that the tracks share similar hooks, melody, tempo, drum patterns, rhythmic patterns, and themes.

Rawyal, who has 12 songs on SoundCloud, says the similarity between the songs was confirmed by forensic musicologist Brian McBrearty. McBrearty noted that the tracks are reportedly 93-97% alike in tempo, rhythm, structure, and lyrical phrasing, especially around the word “rock.”

According to Rawyal, Just Wanna Rock went viral on TikTok in 2022, but his posts promoting Pain and Pleasure were allegedly removed or muted. Rawyal claims that Atlantic Records and Lil Uzi Vert discovered his work through Atlantic Records’ president, Lanre Gaba. He added that he has been sending demos and collaborating with Atlantic Records since 2012.

In his lawsuit, Rawyal named Lil Uzi Vert, Atlantic Records, Generation Now, Roc Nation, and Warner Music Group as defendants. He is demanding publishing credits, an ownership share, and a stop to any further use of the song. Lil Uzi Vert has not commented publicly on the lawsuit.

Lil Uzi Vert Faces Separate Lawsuit by Former Assistant

Last month, Lil Uzi Vert was sued by his former personal assistant for sexual harassment and labor violations. The assistant, who remains anonymous, claimed she was overworked and forced to work long hours while traveling internationally with the rapper. She also stated that she had to cover her own food and travel costs.

The lawsuit alleges that Lil Uzi Vert sent sexually inappropriate texts and required her to work for his girlfriend, JT, a former City Girls member. Jane Doe requested compensatory and punitive damages from the rapper, his company Uzivert, and Roc Nation. On November 6, she filed to dismiss the lawsuit without prejudice, meaning it could be re-filed in the future. Lil Uzi Vert’s team has not provided a statement regarding this case.

The Rief Rawyal lawsuit adds to a growing list of legal challenges for the rapper, bringing attention to issues of copyright, music ownership, and professional conduct in the music industry.