Missy Elliott & Timbaland Sued By Songwriter Over Aaliyah Royalties: Report

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Terry Williams claims he penned Aaliyah's "Heartbroken" and was never compensated for it.

Timbaland and Missy Elliott got fans excited this week when they got in the studio and teased that they had new music coming this week. The two artists have been working together for decades at this point, and arguably, created their best music together. The two of them worked with Aaliyah during the peak of the late R&B singer's career. However, they're now facing a lawsuit over royalties from Aaliyah's "Heartbroken."

A songwriter by the name of Terry Williams claims he helped Missy Elliott create the song, "Heartbroken" around '94-'95 which ended up being released by Aaliyah in 1996. However, Williams said the song, which was produced by Timbaland, only landed in Aaliyah's lap because Missy sold the song without his authorization. According to TMZ, Williams is suing Timbo and Missy Elliott over the Aaliyah song, claiming neither parties compensated him for his work on the track. 

Terry said he struck an agreement with Missy Elliott who agreed to share profits from the song. He claims the track released by Timbo and Aaliyah was nearly identical in sound and lyrics as the track he wrote. He alleges Missy Elliot kept his work on the song a secret. 

Terry's suing Timbaland, Missy and Aaliyah's estate in the case. He claims he has ownership in the track and that he's entitled to a cut of the royalties. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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