TMZ Composite
Exclusive

French Montana Accused of Ripping Off Lyrics in 'Handstand' ... Threatened with Lawsuit

French Montana could be getting dragged to court soon 'cause a rapper is accusing him of stealing his lyrics ... and, he is demanding French settles it soon, or else.

'Hot Boys' rapper Turk had his lawyers fire off a demand letter to French Montana's lawyer, claiming French ripped some of their client's lyrics for his 2021 song, "Handstand".

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Tab Virgil Jr., aka Turk, claims French lifted lyrics from his group's 1999 hit, "I Need A Hot Girl" without permission ... and say, FM's track with the stolen lyrics has already scored more than 17 million views on YouTube.

In case you didn't know, The Hot Boys was a hip hop group formed in the '90s ... the members were Lil Wayne, B.G., Juvenile, and Turk.

The song, "I Need A Hot Girl", was a huge hit for the group and even appeared on Billboards Hot 100.

In French Montana's song, Doja Cat and Saweetie join him to sing "I need a project b****, a hood rat b****. One don't give a f*** and say she took that d***". These are close to the exact lyrics Turk claims he wrote and performed in the throwback song.

A source with direct knowledge tells us French had actually purchased the beat and the hook with the understanding all was clear. However, there must've been some sort of confusion ... nonetheless, we're told French's team is already working to rectify the situation.

Turk's attorney, Paul M. Aloise Jr. of the Brooks LeBoeuf law firm, says they're willing to settle out of court ... so hopefully all will be resolved soon.

Click here for info about our online advertising practices.