News: Cypress Hill Hit W/ $29 Mil Suit Over "Black Sunday" Sample
Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:22:11
West Coast rap group Cypress Hill are being sued for $29 million due to a sampling conflict stemming from their triple platinum, 1993 album, Black Sunday.
According to TMZ, legendary blues singer Syl Johnson
filed a lawsuit against the hip-hop band claiming the music from his
1969 record "Is It Because I'm Black" were used without permission on
Hill's "Lock Down (Interlude)." Despite Hill's track being over 15
years-old and not using the actual lyrics from the song, Johnson has
decided to sue the group plus a number of record and publishing
companies for the brief soundbite.
Cypress Hill, who were recently honored at VH1's 5th annual Hip-Hop Honors event, were not available for comment as of press time.
Johnson, who is the father of R&B singer Syleena Johnson, has a history of suing other musicians for allegedly using unauthorized samples of his music. Back in January, TMZ broke the news that he sued a long list of artists including Michael Jackson, Will Smith, Tupac Shakur and KRS-One claiming they stole his 1967 single "Different Strokes" without attributing him or paying for the sample.
Man, we need to stop with all these lawsuits over samples. Wasn't music made for everyone to enjoy? Now it's all about money. This is what's wrong with our music.
{{-_-}}
You what is fucked about this... it wasn't a sample used for a track, it was for a fucking interlude. A skit. How can you justify 29 million dollars of a sampling of a skit? It's not like they sampled to help make their biggest hit off the album. it's a skit. Get a life Syl.
I feel bad for RZA.... I think about 65% of the songs on the first wave of Wu albums was sampled from this homo...
The simple solution is to make YOUR own music. Why is that so hard for people in hip hop? If you're a producer then produce. If a singer, then sing. Where's the talent and creativity in rap? People call Dre the best hip hop producer and all he did was play George Clinton. Learn to play instruments, read musical notes. It's the very least you can do for all the millions you make.
Dr Dre did not use George Clinton samples he played keyboards and was inspired by george clinto nothing wrong with sampling just get stuff cleared.
I agree with RoMa .. it was for an interlude..what's the big deal? no way he gets anything out of this one.
OK, I'm no legal scholar, but does Syl Johnson really have a case here? This album is 15 years old... isn't there a statute of limitations in cases like these?