Barry White’s Estate Sues Over ‘Like That’ for Copyright Infringement — Future and Metro Boomin Escape Legal Heat

The estate of the legendary Barry White has filed a lawsuit over allegations that the iconic singer’s music was improperly sampled in Future and Metro Boomin’s chart-topping track “Like That.” Surprisingly, however, the case does not target the stars of the song. According to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court last week, White’s estate claims that elements of White’s 1973 hit “I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby” were used without permission by Rodney-O (Rodney Oliver) and Joe Cooley for their 1986 hip-hop song “Everlasting Bass.” This same track was heavily sampled in “Like That,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year. Attorneys for White’s estate, which was estimated to be worth $20 million at the tie of White’s death in 2003, explained that they waited nearly 40 years to file the lawsuit because “Everlasting Bass” was released in an era before the internet and was “not widely distributed,” leaving the estate “unaware of the song when it was first released,” Billboard reported. However, the estate became aware of the song’s existence after it was sampled in Future and Metro Boomin’s hit, as “Everlasting Bass” was prominently featured, with Rodney-O and...