Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Nelly, Jazze Pha, the estates of Angie Stone and The Notorious B.I.G., along with Bad Boy Records and Sony Music Entertainment, have all been named in the same copyright infringement lawsuit.
Songwriters David Bravo and Jean Albert Renaud claim that their 1980 composition “Skatin,” written for Deodato, was sampled by Jazze Pha in Angie Stone and Snoop Dogg’s “I Wanna Thank Ya” as well as in “Nasty Girl” by The Notorious B.I.G., Nelly, and Diddy. According to Billboard, the pair say they only discovered the alleged use of their work two years ago and are now seeking the publishing rights and compensation they believe they are owed.
“This case embodies a classic ‘David versus Goliath’ struggle,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs are independent, everyday creators seeking to recover their rightful compensation that has been unlawfully diverted to billion-dollar record labels, global music publishers, and international recording artists, producers and songwriters.”
The two songwriters originally sold the publishing rights to “Skatin” to Sony 45 years ago. According to the lawsuit, when they approached the company a few years ago in an effort to resolve the matter, they were allegedly “stonewalled.” They claim Sony’s financial interests in the two songs prevented the company from reaching a fair agreement with them.
“Choosing to protect its highly lucrative clients at the direct expense of its duties to plaintiffs, Sony Publishing acted in bad faith and deliberately aligned itself with the infringers,” the lawsuit states. “Sony Publishing’s refusal to advocate for the creators of the foundational backing track has forced plaintiffs to drain their life savings to bring this action themselves.”
None of the defendants named in the lawsuit have publicly responded to the allegations. Stay tuned for further updates as the case develops.
