One of music's most successful and prolific icons is making headlines once again. It looks like Kanye West has encountered yet another gold digger. This time, however, West doesn't find himself in a relationship with a money monger. It's a bit more severe. West could find himself in some real trouble.
The refrain from West's 2005 No.1 hit "Gold Digger" is now under attack. The family of David Pryor has filed a lawsuit against the rapper for allegedly sampling their father's 1974 "Bumpin' Bus Stop" by his group Thunder & Lightning. The refrain, "get down girl, go 'head, get down," is one of the most celebrated and recycled lines of the past decade, and Lorenzo Pryor and Trena Steward want a piece.
The two claim that West used a 13-second bit of the song where their father, who passed away in 2006, says "get down" three times in a manner reminiscent to West's recitation of the chorus. Pryor and Steward each own a quarter of the song and have asked the judge to stop the sale of the song and grant them "millions of dollars" in damages for the unlicensed sample. Another headache for Kanye.
They also claim that the defendants have "systematically and willfully refused to clear samples of the Plaintiff's original, copyrighted work in order to gain a commercial profit and to avoid paying and crediting the author."
The copyright/RICO suit says that West and the labels involved partook in a 15-year "illegal copyright infringement scheme and criminal enterprise involving the unauthorized, willful sampling of plaintiffs original copyrighted music on a massive scale." The labels accused alongside West include Roc-a0Fella Records, Bad Boy Records, Stones Throw Records, Bomb Hip-Hop Records, Autumn Games, Activision, Caroline Distribution and The Island Def Jam Music Group.
A spokesperson for West has yet to comment on the issue, but if the rapper's past can serve as a warning, he's sure to bite back with all he's got. He's not one to simply roll over and cough up the dough. An epic battle is about to ensue. It's time to "get down."