Usher, Mark Wahlberg and Run-D.M.C. are among a long list of musicians currently facing a lawsuit claiming they all sampled a popular old song without authorization.
Twilight Records and Syl-Zel Music filed the suit on Tuesday with U.S. District Court in Illinois, accusing dozens of artists including the above mentioned of sampling “Different Strokes,” a song recorded by Sylvester Thompson, aka Syl Johnson, in 1967.
The documents state that Usher’s 1993 single “Call Me a Mack” infringed on the song as well as Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” and “Fear of a Black Planet.” Actor Mark Wahlberg’s infringement stems from his days as Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch with their song “The Last Song on Side B,” while Run-D.M.C. used samples of the song in both “Naughty” and “Beats to the Rhyme.”
There are record labels mentioned in the suit as well, including Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. According to the suit, they are seeking to collect damages, accounting and permanent restraint against sampling the song.
Back in 2011, Kanye West and Jay Z found themselves in a similar lawsuit after Johnson sued them for using the same song, “Different Strokes,” in their song “Watch the Throne.” The case was later settled.
via EURWeb
