The legal battle surrounding the voice that opens Beyoncé’s chart-topping ‘Alien Superstar’ has intensified, now encompassing a complex dispute over ownership of a crucial sample. At least in its current form, a federal judge has dismissed the lawsuit against Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment in June, though the court hasn’t definitively decided who holds the copyright to the sample itself. The case’s trajectory has been significantly complicated by a challenge to Hirose Enterprises LLC’s standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place.
According to TMZ, Hirose Enterprises LLC initiated a lawsuit in February 2025, alleging infringement on the spoken-word introduction taken from John Holiday’s 1998 recording, ‘Foremost Poets,’ known as ‘Moon-Raker (Main Mix)’.
The sample is immediately recognizable on ‘Alien Superstar,’ beginning the song before its beat fully arrives. Hirose claimed it held rights to both the recording and composition, arguing that Parkwood obtained permission from the wrong person. Court filings revealed that a written agreement executed on September 6, 2022, granted Parkwood nonexclusive permission to use ‘Moon-Raker’ in ‘Alien Superstar.’ This agreement followed the release of ‘Alien Superstar’ on July 29th.
Initially, Holiday transferred rights to Soundmen on Wax in 1998, and Parkwood challenged whether Hirose could actually document that chain of ownership. The court found that Hirose hadn’t sufficiently alleged the written transfers required under federal copyright law. The case ultimately never made it far enough for a judge to decide which side had the better claim to ‘Moon-Raker.’ Hirose Enterprises filed the lawsuit on July 29, 2025, but its own amended complaint stated that the Florida company was not formed until August 6. U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi ruled that an entity that did not legally exist when the case began could not establish standing. On June 26, he dismissed the entire action.
Hirose reportedly attempted to argue that a Delaware company held the copyright interest when the lawsuit was filed and could be substituted into the case. However, according to Scarsi’s ruling, no proper motion was filed to make that substitution. Once the court determined it lacked jurisdiction from the start, it did not reach the competing arguments over whether Parkwood’s license from Holiday was valid. The dismissal was jurisdictional and therefore generally without prejudice, meaning the ruling itself didn’t permanently settle the underlying ownership fight.
Parkwood has reportedly defeated the lawsuit, and ‘Alien Superstar’ has not been ordered off the market. However, Hirose is seeking an injunction to halt the distribution of the track. They’re also seeking damages tied to the song’s earnings. The case remains active, with Hirose asserting the right to seek compensation for the loss of potential revenue due to the unauthorized use of the sample.
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Source: HotNewHipHop
