sample

While Syl Johnson may be one of soul music's most revered voices, the legendary singer has lost yet another round in his lengthy copyright battle with rap group Cypress Hill. Johnson first sued Cypress Hill for copyright infringement back in 2003, accusing the West Coast rappers of illegally sampling his 1969 classic 'Is It Because I'm Black' on the group's song 'Lock Down,' an interlude on their

Lil Wayne's Cash Money Records has finally resolved royalty disputes with the producers of two of Weezy's biggest hits. Having reconciled with estranged 'A Milli' producer Bangladesh, who turned around and handed Weezy his hot new single, '6'7,' it is now being reported that Wayne and co...

Earlier this week, Snoop Dogg was slapped with a lawsuit filed in Michigan by respected bass player and vocalist Michael Henderson. Henderson played extensively with Miles Davis late in his career, and also recorded with many other jazz and soul artists, including Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder...

Once controversial, the practice of sampling is now generally regarded as a viable artistic method of production and a mostly legitimate commercial endeavor. Good public reception of a sample-use often depends on a combination of factors including what is sampled, who is sampled, and how that sample is used to create something new...

Eccentric singer Erykah Badu took a break from her usual routine of new-age/healing-related tweets to put out a call for help in clearing a sample by former Beatle Paul McCartney. Just hours before her album's deadline, Badu begged her Twitter followers for a connection to Sir Paul...

DJ Kay Slay, aka "The Drama King," aka "Slap Your Favorite DJ," is being taken to court for failing to properly clear a sample. The copyright infringement allegedly appears on 'Angels Around Me,' a song from his 'Street Sweeper Volume 2: The Pain From the Game' album, which also sports collaborations with 50 Cent and G-Unit...

Multi-platinum rap group Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, mega-singer Akon and producer Swizz Beatz are being sued by Fort Worth, Texas music publisher, Songster. The publisher claims that Bone, Swizz and Akon illegally used portions of a 1978 Hare-Krishna influenced song called 'When The Day Will Come (aka KRSNA)' by a band called Rasa, on the Bone Thugs track 'I Tried...