March 14 (UPI) -- A Jamaican dancehall artist sued Miley Cyrus on Tuesday for copyright infringement and wants $300 million for allegedly ripping off his lyrics.
Michael May, better known by his stage name Flourgon, says Cyrus stole from his 1988 song, We Run Things when she produced her 2013 hit track, We Can't Stop.
May's song includes the phrase: "We run things. Things no run we."
In Cyrus' song, the chorus includes: "We run things. Things don't run we."
We Can't Stop won "chart-topping popularity and its highly-lucrative success" because of May's work, the legal complaint states, according to CNN. Without May's We Run Things, "the entire theme of 'We Can't Stop' would be hollow in sound and impact."
May's attorney, Stephen Drummond, said $300 million "would be a reasonable compensation."
The lawsuit goes on to say that Cyrus' entire image is ripped off of other genres, including reggae dancehall.
"Cyrus exchanged her trademark 'good girl' Disney profile for a gritty and hyper-sexualized image, quite often brazenly and defiantly invoking provocative and obscene statements, lyrics and dress and personal vocalizations to reflect the grittiness, aggression and sultriness associated with U.S. based hip-hop, R&B, urban and Caribbean music," the lawsuit says, according to the Blast.