Rap superstars KANYE WEST, METHOD MAN, REDMAN and COMMON have been accused of using late jazz legend JOE FARRELL's music without permission.
Farrell's daughter, Kathleen Firrantello, filed a lawsuit against the hip hop stars and their representing record labels - all owned by Universal Music Group - in New York's U.S. District Court on Thursday (22May08).
The lawsuit accuses the rappers, and their labels, of using segments of Farrell's 1974 composition Upon This Rock in three different songs without seeking approval from the late singer's estate.
The songs at the centre of the lawsuit are West's 2005 track Gone from his Late Registration album, Common's Chi-City from 2005's Be LP, which was co-written and produced by West, and Run 4 Cover, a 1999 collaboration between rappers Method Man and Redman for their Blackout LP.
A spokesman for the stars was unavailable.
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