Jay Z sued for copyright infringement
Hip Hop mogul Jay Z has found himself entangled in a legal dispute over allegations that he used an illegal sample in his 2009 hit Run This Town.
According to The New York Daily News, TufAmerica Inc. filed a lawsuit in Manhattan court Wednesday, claiming the Jay Z infringed copyright by sampling Eddie Bo’s 1969 Hook & Sling, without permission.
TufAmerica purchased the rights to the ‘60s funk jam back in 1996 and is seeking proceeds and damages to be determined at trial from Run This Town (which also features Rihanna and Kanye West) as well as a court order to halt “further distribution and exploitation” of the Eddie Bo song.
The Daily News also claims it’s the third complaint filed in Manhattan court this year by the label against Jay Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records.
The suit comes at an awkward time for the rapper, who is facing pressure to cease his partnership with Barneys New York when reports emerged the high-end department store profiled black shoppers.
Have a listen to the two tracks below. We don’t hear the similarities but as far as we’re concerned they’re both killer tracks.