Photo Credit:Chrisallmeid
Grammy-winning rapper Cardi B and her legal team have secured a decisive victory in a long-running legal battle over her 2024 hit single, “Enough (Miami).” A Texas federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by two producers who accused the Bronx native of stealing the melody and bassline from their earlier work.
The litigation was originally filed in July 2024 by producers Joshua Fraustro and Miguel Aguilar (known professionally as Kemika1956). The duo alleged that Cardi’s track, which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100, was a “strikingly similar” copy of their song “Greasy Frybread,” a track they produced for rapper Sten Joddi for the FX series Reservation Dogs.
The case faced significant hurdles from the outset. In early 2025, lawyers for Cardi B (born Belcalis Almanzar) and Atlantic Records pointed out a critical error: the plaintiffs had failed to register “Greasy Frybread” with the U.S. Copyright Office before filing their ederal claim. In an attempt to salvage the case, Fraustro and Aguilar retooled their lawsuit, dropping the federal copyright charges in favor of Texas state-law claims, including “unfair competition” and “tortious interference with business relations.”
However, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled on Tuesday that these amended claims were legally “defective.” The judge noted that the plaintiffs provided “no factual support” for their allegations of business interference. Furthermore, the judge dismissed the claims against Cardi B personally, ruling that the court lacked jurisdiction because she does not have significant business ties to the state of Texas beyond occasional live performances.
The ruling also extended to Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records, with the judge reiterating that the lack of federal copyright registration rendered the entire third-party infringement claim invalid. “The failure to satisfy the registration requirement is fatal to the plaintiffs’ case,” the court order stated.
Cardi B, who has historically been vocal on social media when facing plagiarism accusations, has largely let her legal team handle this specific dispute. The dismissal marks the end of a two-year legal headache for the star as she continues to work on her highly anticipated second studio album.
