The line “I just took a DNA test/Turns out, I’m 100 percent that bitch” has been quoted ad nauseam since Lizzo’s song “Truth Hurts,” released in 2017, became a platinum single in 2019. On social media, everyone from Hillary Clinton to Cookie Monster has bragged about the results of their own DNA tests. But, as it turns out, two different people are claiming they are actually the authors of the lyric. If both claims are true, does that mean each claimant is merely 50 percent that bitch? Or perhaps 33.33 percent that bitch if Lizzo is also allowed to keep a portion of the title? The bitch math is getting quite confusing, to say nothing of the bitch genetics, which seem still more complicated.
As the Guardian reports, in February 2018, British musician Mina Lioness said she originally tweeted the both the lines in February 2017, which she claims were used verbatim in the song. At the time, Lizzo responded that the lyric was actually inspired by an Instagram meme and that said: “I’m 100% that bitch.” She also tweeted that the lyric was written “in June” but does not specify which year.
Now, songwriter and producer Justin Raisen says he actually wrote the lyric for a 2017 song called “Healthy,” and has not seen a nickel of the money “Truth Hurts” is now raking in. In an Instagram post, Raisen said he wrote “Healthy” with Lizzo and two others, Jesse St John, and Yves Rothman, in his studio in April 2017, not June. He claims that music and lyrics for “Truth Hurts” were lifted from “Healthy” without his permission nor was his team compensated for their use:
“We were never contacted about being credited for the use of the parts of “Healthy” (melody, lyrics, and chords) that appear in “Truth Hurts”. After reaching out to Ricky Reed and Lizzo’s team about fixing it, we put the song in dispute in 2017 when it came out. We’ve tried to sort this out quietly for the last two years, only asking for 5% each but were shutdown every time.”
A mashup of the two songs included in the post, along with what Raisen claims is video taken the day he co-wrote “Healthy,” do sound incredibly similar. In the Instagram post, Raisen also credits Mina Lioness for the inspiration and offered to share proceeds should he ever be offered a portion of the profits from “Truth Hurts.”