Nicki Minaj finds herself entangled in a fresh lawsuit as a musician named Julius Johnson accuses her of stealing his beat for her 2014 song "I Lied." The legal action also includes music producer Mike Will Made It. Johnson alleges that the beat used in "I Lied," a track from Nicki Minaj's album "The Pinkprint" released in December 2014, is a blatant copy of the beat he originally created for his own 2011 song titled "Onmysleeve," which he shared on YouTube.

According to Johnson, he possessed the beat on a computer hard drive back in 2013 while he was a student at the Art Institute of Atlanta. However, he asserts that the hard drive was unlawfully removed from his possession during a studio recording session, without his consent.

Johnson also alleges that both Minaj and producer Mike Will Made It were present at the Art Institute of Atlanta during the same period and somehow acquired the hard drive containing the beat.

Despite the release of "I Lied" in 2014, Johnson asserts in his lawsuit that he only heard the song in 2022, where he immediately recognized the beat.

While Johnson acknowledges that the lyrics of the two tracks differ significantly, he claims that the beat and instrumentation are practically identical.

 In his legal action, Johnson is suing Minaj and the producer to recover the profits they earned from the song. He is also seeking a court order to either prevent Minaj from using the song or to receive proper credit for his contribution.

Regarding the matter, a representative for Minaj declined to comment, but a source close to the rapper hinted that Minaj may not have personally chosen the beat. The source stated, "Clearly Nicki is a lyricist, so the claim in terms of production will obviously have to be addressed by the applicable parties."

While it appears that Mike Will Made It is the potential party responsible for providing the beat, this has yet to be officially confirmed.