Jay Z made a splash in 2000 with the release of his single “Big Pimpin‘,” from his fourth album, Vol. 3…Life and Times of S. Carter featuring UGK. Now some 15 years later, the Brooklyn mogul is contending in Los Angeles court with the heirs of the Egyptian composer’s track that formed the backing sample for the Timbaland production.
As reported by Page Six, the entertainer born Shawn Carter entered the court on Tuesday (Oct. 13) to hear the legal accusations from the attorneys of heirs of Baligh Hamdi, whose song “Khosara Khosara” was lifted by Timbaland for “Big Pimpin’.”
More from Page Six:
Attorney Pete Ross accused Carter of lacing vulgar lyrics over Hamdi’s beautiful melody without receiving the proper permission. Carter’s lyrics however aren’t at issue in the case, and lawyers for Carter and Timbaland say they secured the appropriate rights to feature “Khosara Khosara” on “Big Pimpin’.”
Timbaland, whose real name is Timothy Mosely, also attended the opening of the trial. His attorney, Christine Lepera, told jurors that he initially used elements of Hamdi’s work thinking it was royalty-free, but he later secured the appropriate rights.
Ross disputes that statement, and he accused the men of violating Hamdi’s “moral rights,” a legal concept he said is well-established in Egypt that would have required them to get permission to use elements of “Khosara Khosara” in a song celebrating a promiscuous lifestyle.
Mosely’s attorney says that her client paid the appropriate costs to secure rights to the song and that it was a negligible use of the original song. Further, the heirs have been properly compensated.
The trial continues today.
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Photo: YouTube
