The Weeknd and Daft Punk Sued for Stealing 'Starboy'

If The Weeknd's huge hit, "Starboy," had a familiar sound, it's not because Daft Punk produced it ... it's because the song is a rip-off ... or so another artist claims in a lawsuit.

A self-described poet, singer and songwriter named Yasminah is suing The Weeknd and his mega-producers, claiming her song "Hooyo" is the blueprint for "Starboy."

In the lawsuit, she says she co-wrote and released "Hooyo" in 2009. "Starboy" was released in Nov. 2016. According to Yasminah, the similarities are obvious to the ear -- same hook, same key, similar tempo and both songs feature prominent claps on beats 2 and 4. Translation: they both have great rhythm.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, blog posts have been written describing the similarities between the songs ... and there are thousands of comments on those posts agreeing with Yasminah's ear.

Yasminah says 2 of her producers already threatened lawsuits over the song, which never went to court ... they settled -- which kinda makes sense when you listen to both songs. Yasminah says the problem is, she never got a cut of those settlements.