Nicki Minaj sued by EDM singer Clive Tanaka, who claims her 2012 hit 'Starships' is a rip-off of his 2011 song 'Neu Chicago'

EDM singer Clive Tanaka is suing Nicki Minaj, claiming her 2012 hit “Starships” is a rip-off of his 2011 song "Neu Chicago."

Tanaka filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against Minaj, three writers of the song and its producer in Chicago this week.

TMZ reports that he also took an extra step to prove “Starships” was stolen from him by mashing the songs on top of each other to prove just how much they sound alike.

Minaj’s massive hit spent 21 weeks in a row on the Billboard charts.

The Chicago Tribune reports the song’s producer, RedOne, born Nadir Khayat, was named in the lawsuit and Tanaka claims since he is a citizen of Sweden, it’s likely he saw “Neu Chicago” being used in TV advertising campaigns for a beverage company and clothing retailer.

Christopher Niro, Tanaka’s attorney, says “They had a very good opportunity to hear it.” He added, “We believe they are similar to the point that it is nearly impossible for it to be a coincidence.”

Here’s Minaj’s “Starships”:

And here’s Tanaka’s “Neu Chicago”:

Here’s the mash-up:

image: Wikimedia Commons