Producers Sued Over Samples
It’s almost like a rite of passage, in order to become a super-producer, you have to be sued for illegal use of a sample at least once—or at least that seems to be the case.
A number of big name producers have been served with court papers claiming they stole a riff, borrowed a drum pattern or flat out lifted an entire track.
Most recently Timbaland was hit with a $5 million lawsuit for allegedly using a sample without permission on Jay-Z’s hit single “Big Pimpin”, but he isn’t the only one.
Coveted beat makers from Kanye to Dr Dre have been accused of using samples without clearance.
Here’s a list of 10 well-known producers who’ve been charged with heisting hits.
Swizz Beatz
In 1999, Swizzy was reportedly hit with a lawsuit by keyboard maker Casio for allegedly using presets from one of the company’s keyboards to craft Drag-On’s “Down Bottom.”
Dr. Dre
An Indian film music company sued the Doc in 2002 for half a billion dollars for allegedly swiping an unlicensed sample for the Truth Hurts track, “So Addictive.”
Dre was slapped with another lawsuit for illegally using a sample from the track “Backstrokin’” in his song “Let’s Get High” off 2001.
Pharrell
Skateboard P was accused of using of an unauthorized sample by Thomas Jordan of the band Geggy Tah in 2009.
Jordan claimed the VA producer ripped off his 1996 track “Whoever You Are” for the Clipse track “All I Wanna Do (Feel Like Me)” off their unreleased album Exclusive Audio Footage.
J Dilla
The late great Dilla was sued over his production of Erykah Badu’s hit record “Didn’t Cha Know” which used without permission a sample from the Tarika Blue recording “Dreamflower.”
Kanye West
Yeezy was sued by the daughter of late jazz musician Joe Farrell, who accused the Chi-town entertainer of using portions of her pop’s 1974 track “Upon This Rock” in the track “Gone” of his sophomore album Late Registration.
In 2008, a Maryland based songwriter filed a lawsuit against Yeezy claiming the rapper/producer had failed to obtain the proper license to use elements of the song “Volume of Good Life” on the track “Good Life.”
Timbaland
Earlier this month Tim was sued for $5 million for a sample allegedly illegally used on Jigga’s hit single “Big Pimpin.”
Timbaland dodged a bullet earlier this year when he escaped a sampling lawsuit, which alleged he illegally used a sample for the Game track, “Put You On To Game.”
In 2007 Tim was hit with a plagiarism lawsuit over the 2006 Nelly Furtado track “Do It.” He beat this suit earlier this year, on a technicality.
DJ Premier
The legendary New York hit maker was stuck with a lawsuit in May for a track he produced for Christina Aguilera in 2006. The suit claimed he illegally used a sample from Dave Cortez & The Moon People’s “Hippy Skippy Moon Strut” for Aggies “Aint No Other Man.”
RZA
In July, Ghostface was sued by the makers of the real Iron Man theme song for unlawfully using the cartoon’s theme music on his 2000 album, Supreme Clientele. RZA was also named in the suit.
will.i.am
Last December P-Funk general George Clinton began litigation proceeding against the Black Eyed Peas for copyright infringement for their use of a sample from his 1979 track “Not Just Knee Deep.” Clinton claims he rejected their initial request to sample the song, but producer will.i.am used the sample anyway for the BEP song “Shut Up.”
Akon
Kon caught a suit in 2009 from Andrew Marks and London McDaniels who claim the “Locked Up” singer/producer housed a sample from the song, “When Will The Day Come,” for the Bone Thugz N Harmony track, “I Tried.”
