TikTok Rapper Trefuego Must Pay Sony Music $800K Over Unlicensed Sample

TikTok rapper Dantreal Clark-Rainbolt, known by his stage name Trefuego, has been ordered to pay Sony Music Entertainment $802,997.23 in damages for using a copyrighted sample without permission.

U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman delivered the ruling, saying the fine would teach him a six-figure “lesson” about “carefully selecting the materials included in his raps.”

Trefuego’s Copyright Clash

Trefuego’s track “90mh” became a viral sensation on TikTok, featured in over 155,000 videos and gaining more than 100 million streams on Spotify.

Despite the song’s success and nearly $700,000 in earnings, the rapper’s victory was short-lived. 

The song contained a sample from Toshifumi Hinata’s 1986 track “Reflections,” which Sony Music owned and used without proper licensing.

Sony Music had unsuccessfully attempted to contact Trefuego, including through direct messages on social media. The music label eventually filed a takedown request with TikTok, prompting the lawsuit.

The financial penalty aims to cover the profits from “90mh” and the licensing fees that would have been paid to Sony Music had the permissions been obtained correctly.

A 6-Figure “Lesson” in Music Licensing

Judge Pittman’s ruling stressed the need for artists to understand the implications of using copyrighted material without authorization. 

“The court hopes this case will serve as a $802,997.23 lesson for the defendant in carefully selecting the materials included in his raps,” US District Judge Mark T. Pitman wrote in his decision, according to Billboard.

“Sony pursued a reasonable, non-frivolous claim to vindicate infringement of its copyrighted work. Some may query the wisdom of pursuing a claim against a relatively small fish like Trefuego, but that fact does not render Sony’s motivation improper of their lawsuit unreasonable.”