Kanye West Sued For Illegal Sampling
Kanye West, Method Man, Redman and Common are all named in lawsuit
Some of the rap-world's biggest stars and their record labels are alleged to have sampled the songs of late jazz musician Joe Farrell without approval.
The lawsuit was filed by Farrells daughter, Kathleen Firrantello, in the U.S. District Court in New York. Kanye West, Method Man, Redman and Common have all been named in the lawsuit as well as Island Def Jam Music Group and its label Roc-A-Fella Records, Universal Music Group, its label Interscope Records, Geffen Records, A&M Records and its parent company, Vivendi.
Firrantello's suit claims that all the rappers used part of Farrell's track Upon This Rock, realeased in 1974.
The tracks in which the sample is alledged to have been allegaly used are as following:
Kanye West - Gone (from the album Late Registration released in 2005)
Common - Chi-City (from the album Be released in 2005)
Redman and Method Man - Run 4 Cover (from the album Blackout! released in 1999)
Firrantello is seeking $1 million in damages and also demands that no further sampling of her fathers work occurs.