Kanye West, Rap Record Labels Sued Over Samples

by Jarrett Martineau | May 22, 2008 at 04:25 pm

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Oh snap! Look at how many rappers sampled the same Joe Farrell track without clearing it? Kanye, Common, Redman, and Meth -- and that's just for starters.

Hip-hop artists love to recycle...but they seem to forget that recycling costs money too. Those hot grooves don't come for free, homey.

Rappers Kanye West, Method Man, Redman, Common and their record companies were sued on Thursday by late U.S. jazz musician Joe Farrell's daughter, who accused them of using her father's music without approval.

The lawsuit, filed by Kathleen Firrantello in the U.S. District Court in New York, names the rappers and Island Def Jam Music Group and its label Roc-A-Fella Records, Universal Music Group, its labels Interscope Records, Geffen Records and A&M Records and its parent company Vivendi.

None of the record companies or representatives for the rappers were immediately available for comment.

The lawsuit said all the rappers used portions of Farrell's 1974 musical composition "Upon This Rock" in three separate songs -- West in "Gone," Common in "Chi-City" and Method Man and Redman in their song "Run 4 Cover."

Firrantello is seeking punitive damages of at least $1 million and asked that no further copies of the songs be made, sold or performed, according to the lawsuit.

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Hervé ALL Photo

at 03:57 on May 23rd, 2008

Great live experience like always for any Wu Tang Members, Meth put the show up and down, very thru energy, total communion with people, the show was in Lyon / France during the big French Hip-Hop Festival "L'Original" official website : http://www.loriginal-festival.com/.
Feel free to visit the myspace photographer : http://www.myspace.com/photo_musique

Hervé ALL Photo has contributed a photo to this story.

empressjenn

at 05:17 on May 23rd, 2008

I would expect this from amateurs, but these record labels should know better than to use a sample without permission. I hope they give the woman her dues so they can move forward. Hopefully next time they'll think twice (it's not like they can't afford to!).

richielue

at 05:45 on May 23rd, 2008

Yo!, i am without a doubt a meth fan, i mean.. all his works are just divine. with the talks that i've been hearing about him an the crew who sampled a copywrighted tarck of the jazz mucisian, i am so dissapointed and really want some justice done coz that shit costs a fortune man!.

richielue has contributed a photo to this story.

Renato Proff Adenzato

at 05:58 on May 23rd, 2008

This photo was took in bologna. Meth fired it up. I'm A photographer, but I've seldom seen the same energy. More of my stuff @ myspace.com/ibcc or on flickr

Renato Proff Adenzato has contributed a photo to this story.

amason628

at 06:08 on May 23rd, 2008

Taken @ Madison Square Garden on May 13th of Kanye West performing in his "Glow in the Dark Tour."

For more photos of Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amasonpics/sets/ and click on the "Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour" link on the page.

SYNICAL

at 08:27 on May 23rd, 2008

dj synical, no cover magazine
http://www.nocover.com
http://www.myspace.com/nocover
http://www.myspace.com/djsynical

SYNICAL has contributed a photo to this story.

you_like_hiphop

at 09:12 on May 23rd, 2008

I hope this will serve to you!

Luck!

http://www.flickr.com/yandel____h2 *

you_like_hiphop has contributed a photo to this story.

B34NS

at 09:39 on May 23rd, 2008

brooklyn machine works and kanye

B34NS has contributed a photo to this story.

Doug_Farmer

at 11:11 on May 23rd, 2008

Injunctions are legal, but can hurt your public image in the long-run.

Suing for compensation over what's rightfully yours is absolutely fine. Suing for punative damages on top of that, punishing whoever it is for taking some of your thunder and sales, is absolutely fine. Filing an injunction against an artist or label that may be breathing new life into your work and drawing attention to it is too much. It's all a matter of how much interest these rappers are creating for your original works, perhaps reminding people or creating new listeners for your material. If you file an injunction, you may have a negative public image on your hands from today's "free the music" generation, along with the commons license thing. If you're going to ask the judge to order these rappers and labels to do anything, order them to provide information about their samples that will help their fans reach out to your material.

TheMobster

at 13:38 on May 28th, 2008

They should be more aware before using samples and i bet it wouldn't have cost them much asking before taking.

TheMobster has contributed a photo to this story.

gigolo55

at 20:40 on May 29th, 2008

I really like kanye,this was my first job on a kanye picture and was also my first time working with a stock picture.Loved the outcome and i hope you like too.

gigolo55 has contributed a photo to this story.