Jay Z Sued Over 'Run This Town' Sample [AUDIO]
In addition to recent Barneys New York controversy, Hip-hop mogul Jay Z faces another legal issue. The Brooklyn rapper is now being sued by record company TufAmerica Inc. over an alleged illegal sampling in his 2009 hit single "Run This Town" featuring Rihanna and Kanye West from "The Blueprint 3."
The lyrics in the chorus part of "Run This Town" is quite ironic to the legal issue that Jay Z is currently dealing with. "Life's a game but it's not fair," Rihanna sings in the chorus. "I break the rules so I don't care."
Four years after the fact, TufAmerica Inc. is suing Jay Z over an unauthorized use of sample from 1996 funky jam "Hook & Sling," a song by singer Eddie Bo and producer Al Scramuzza, dozens of times in the rapper's 2009 track. The company has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Manhattan federal court on Wednesday November 6, saying that it already purchased the exclusive rights to "Hook & Sling" back in 1996.
The lawsuit, naming Roc-A-Fella Records, LLC, Atlantic Recording Corp. and several other companies as defendants, is seeking "proceeds from 'Run This Town' and damages to be determined at trial, plus a court order to halt 'further distribution and exploitation' of the Eddie Bo song."
This makes the third complaint filed by the label against Roc-A-Fella Records in Manhattan federal court. TufAmerica Inc. has previously filed two other complaints against Roc-A-Fella this year, which both suits were settled prior to trial.