Kendrick Lamar is being accused for sampling a classic Bill Withers track without permission.
According to TMZ, Mattie Music Group, who own the rights to the Wither’s 1975 tune, Lamar’s 2009 track I Do This “consists of nothing more than new rap and hip hop lyrics set to the existing music of Don’t You Want To Stay.”
I Do This was originally released on the Kendrick Lamar EP featuring Jay Rock, which was followed up in 2010 by a remix on Lamar’s mixtape titled Overly Dedicated. This mixtape is available for purchase on iTunes, though how much the group believe they are entitled to for damages is unknown at this time.
According to Reuters, the copyright lawsuit states that Lamar simply rapped on top of a “direct and complete copy” of Withers’ song, going on to say that Lamar has “admitted” to his crime, “with a thumb to the nose, catch me if you can attitude.”
Check out both tracks here.
