Why men great ’til they gotta be great? Lizzo doesn’t know, but she does know that a certain iconic lyric of hers deserves a legally binding trademark.
The singer-songwriter and longtime LGBTQ ally has reportedly filed an application in court to formally trademark the lyric “100% that bitch,” making her the latest pop queen to stake a claim on a popular catchphrase. (Cardi B’s valiant attempt to trademark “Okurrr,” anyone?)
WE’RE NUMBER 1. THIS IS A W FOR ALL OF US. ANYBODY WHO EVER FELT LIKE THEY VOICE WASN’T HEARD. ANYBODY WHO FELT LIKE THEY WEREN’T GOOD ENOUGH. YOU ARE. WE ARE. CHAMPIONS. I LOVE YALL 3 MUCH. LIZZBIANS UNITE ☔️ pic.twitter.com/Ur4hrtwCnt
— Feelin Good As Hell (@lizzo) September 3, 2019
The lyric, which appears in the opening verse of her Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping earworm “Truth Hurts,” has become her unofficial signature of sorts. You could say it’s in her damn genes:
Why men great ’til they gotta be great? Woo
I just took a DNA test, turns out I’m 100% that bitch
According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, Lizzo included examples of merch she’d emblazoned with the lyric in the filing as evidence of its strong association with her brand.
The track is an anomaly of sorts: It was originally released in September 2017, but Lizzo’s recent surge in popularity—including her third studio album ’Cuz I Love You and two nominations at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards—prompted “Truth Hurts” to climb the charts anew.
Will a DNA test be necessary to confirm her claim on “100% that bitch”? Contrary to what Lizzo’s army of fans (a.k.a. Lizzbians) believe, it might be. London-based singer-songwriter Mina Lioness alleges she actually coined the phrase, citing a tweet she published in February 2017, months before “Truth Hurts” first dropped:
I did a DNA test and found out I'm 100% that bitch.
— bag juiceina (@MinaLioness) February 25, 2017
It’s worth noting that Lizzo first addressed the allegations of plagiarism back in February 2018, responding to Lioness’ tweet with more context about “Truth Hurts”: The song was written in June 2017, she noted, and this particular lyric apparently originated in a meme she’d seen (and credited for the inspo) on Instagram.
Truth Hurts was written in June fyi— someone made a meme on IG that said “I’m 100% that bitch” and we were inspired, I give that meme credit when I talk about making the song. I’ve never seen ur viral tweet but I’m glad it exists.
— Feelin Good As Hell (@lizzo) February 9, 2018
“I’ve never seen ur [sic] viral tweet,” Lizzo added, “but I’m glad it exists.”
We’re glad this Kylie Minogue-loving queen exists.