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Hip-Hop Giants Sued Over Unpaid Sample Royalties
15 Jul
Summary
- Lawsuit alleges two early 2000s hip-hop hits used an uncleared funk sample.
- Composers claim their 1980 song 'Skatin'' was sampled without consent.
- Sony Music Publishing accused of siding with artists over creators.
Several prominent hip-hop figures, including Snoop Dogg and Diddy, are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit. The legal action, initiated on Tuesday, July 14, alleges that instrumental portions of the 1980 song "Skatin'," co-written by David Bravo and Jean Albert Renaud, were sampled without authorization.
The complaint specifically targets the 2004 track "I Wanna Thank Ya" by Angie Stone featuring Snoop Dogg, and the 2005 song "Nasty Girl" from The Notorious B.I.G.'s album Duets: The Final Chapter, which features Diddy. Both songs were reportedly produced by Jazze Pha.
Bravo and Renaud assert that "Skatin'" formed the complete instrumental backing for the later tracks, with new vocals and rap verses added over their original work. They claim to have recently discovered the unauthorized sampling and have not received any royalties or given clearance for their music's use.
Facing what they describe as a "David versus Goliath" struggle, the composers are suing Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Nelly, Jazze Pha, the estates of Angie Stone and The Notorious B.I.G., Bad Boy Records, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated publishing companies. Claims also include breach of contract and fiduciary duty against Sony Music Publishing.
According to the lawsuit, Bravo and Renaud had previously assigned their publishing copyrights for "Skatin'" to Kenya Music Inc., now managed by Sony. They allege that after alerting Sony to the sampling two years ago, the publisher refused to take action, potentially due to its own stake in the "Nasty Girl" publishing, thus protecting lucrative clients at the expense of the creators.
The songwriters contend that Sony Publishing acted in bad faith, deliberately aligning with infringers and forcing them to use their savings to pursue legal recourse. This situation raises questions about the composers' standing to sue, as copyright claims typically require ownership interests, which may have been fully transferred.
Representatives for the artists and corporate defendants had not yet responded to requests for comment as of Tuesday, July 15. Angie Stone's estate could not be reached.
