Headline: Flo Milli Faces $1 Million Copyright Lawsuit Over Hit Song “Never Lose Me”
Rising rap star Flo Milli is facing legal troubles following the success of her 2023 hit single “Never Lose Me.” The track, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay, is now at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit.
According to the complaint, Flo Milli — real name Tamia Monique Carter — allegedly used a beat without permission. The beat was reportedly licensed exclusively years ago to Baltimore artist Shamar Deal, who claims his rights were violated.
The lawsuit names Flo Milli, along with Detroit rappers Babyface Ray (Marcellus Rayvon Register) and 42 Dugg (Dion Marquise Hayes), as defendants. It accuses them of sampling a track called Ron Artest, which itself is alleged to have used a beat originally created by producer Gerreaux Katana.
Katana’s instrumental, titled Youu, was purchased by Shamar Deal on Traktrain — a platform for rap instrumentals — under an exclusive 10-year license. Deal argues that when Katana relicensed Youu in 2023 to Babyface Ray and 42 Dugg, it breached their agreement.
“As plaintiff currently holds the exclusive right to the composition, the incorporation of the composition in Ron Artest and ‘Never Lose Me’ constitutes copyright infringement,” said Deal’s attorney, Larry Zerner.
The lawsuit seeks a minimum of $1 million in damages. Music companies EMPIRE and Sony Music are also named in the suit.
Never Lose Me, which became one of Flo Milli’s biggest tracks to date, also debuted at No. 54 on the Billboard 200 in March 2025. It reached No. 7 on the Streaming Songs chart, and according to Luminate, it has amassed 947.5 million official on-demand streams globally — with over 531 million in the U.S. alone.
Flo Milli, Babyface Ray, and 42 Dugg have not commented on the lawsuit at the time of this publication.
