By Boyce Watkins, PhD on Jan 27th 2010 9:24AM
Filed under: Celebrity News, News
It seems that my favorite rapper, T.I. (Clifford Harris) is having a few more legal problems. He is now being sued for copyright infringement for an award-winning song released a few years ago. 'What You Know,' T.I.'s Grammy Award-winning track released in 2006 is now being questioned about its authenticity. A man claims that the song is suspiciously similar to a track that he released in 2004 called 'Relentless.'
According to court documents the man claims that 'What You Know' shares the 'same rate of harmonic range' and 'nearly identical instrumental melodic lines in terms of pitch, shape, and rhythm,' as his 2004 track. The man suing T.I. is seeking a trial and a portion of all profits made from 'What You Know,' according to
HipHopWired.
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=823893&pid=823892&uts=1264631181
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
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Kanye West and Amber Rose arrive at the Chanel Haute-Couture show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 at Pavillon Cambon Capucines on January 26, 2010 in Paris, France.
Dominique Charriau/WireImage
BlackVoices.com
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Kanye West and Amber Rose arrive at the Chanel Haute-Couture show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 at Pavillon Cambon Capucines on January 26, 2010 in Paris, France.
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Monday January 25, 2010: Dax Shepard and Joy Bryant chat before leaving the set of TV series 'Parenthood.' The two enjoyed a laugh, with Shepard holding onto what looks like his call sheet for the day.
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Kanye West and Amber Rose at the Dior Homme fashion show during Paris Menswear Fashion Week at Palais Omnisports de Bercy in Paris, France on January 23, 2010.
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Mariah Carey performs at Hard Rock Live! in the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 21, 2010 in Hollywood, Florida.
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Kanye West and girlfriend Amber Rose took a stroll through Paris, France on January 21, 2010. Kanye and Amber sported long fur coats on their way to the Louis Vuitton fashion show during Paris Menswear Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2010 at Le 104.
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Tracy Morgan gives a salute as he prepares to depart LAX on January 24, 2010.
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Top celebrities like Amber Rose show off their over the top fashions in Paris, France on on January 21, 2010 during Paris Menswear Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2010.
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Rihanna makes a guest appearance on Norwegian TV show 'Skavlan' on January 21, 2010 in Oslo, Norway.
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Actress Zoe Saldana star of the new film "Avatar", is spotted trying to stay dry under her multi-colored umbrella while going to a meeting in Hollywood on Wednesday January 20, 2010.
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New Orleans Saints player Reggie Bush sits with Kim Kardashian on the court during the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets at the New Orleans Arena on January 18, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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The lawsuit only adds to the long list of legal problems for the rapper, who was just released from prison on a very serious weapons charge. Time will tell in terms of how it impacts T.I.'s career.
Dr.
Boyce Watkins is the founder of the
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Comments: (4)
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By: claudia on 1/29/2010 1:05PM
I believe that people are just targeting the young rapper T.I. right now. Especially this man who is sueing claiming that he copied his song. Of course its just possible that T.I. did get his instrumental, pitches and even some more from a past song that he heard, but doesnt most musicians captures their music background from an old song that has played from previous. I hear songs now today that has the same tunes of a song that was back in the 70's. Do that make it a crime? I believe whatever needs to be settle will be settle or either dismissed. I can have an idea about something and later on someone actually takes that idea that I have been carrying in my mind and run with it. It doesnt mean that that person actually stole my thoughts. It just means that they had the same thoughts I had. What a coincidence. Rapper T.I. will bounce back into full gear and will continue to reach the music charts just as he has in the past, because he is a good rapper.
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By: kbeeutty on 1/31/2010 2:12AM
Well, I know people who has had their songs stolen and invention and if you dont have the money to sue these company's and or people they get away with riding off of your back without giving any credit to you or money. I actually was there as a song was being written, was there when it was copy written when the letter's went out, was there when idea's were patened and saw it on the market some years later,but my friend had no money to pursue the situation.And they are getting away with it.I was there when he got patends on his idea's but if you don't keep paying to hold these patends they get stolen. Then your walking through a major store and see your idea and you have the letter's from where you tried to sell the idea to them. They wait and watch, then steal and lie and cheat.There's nothing charming about this world and nothing fair. And black people are the most stolen from, because no money.remember who came up with the stop light(stolen)windshield wiper delay(stolen)exc....so many I cant even call them all off,so yes they steal all of them.
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By: kbeeutty on 2/01/2010 9:36AM
Oh and I like T.I,however no you can't have whatever you like at no cost.
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By: Pffft on 5/14/2010 3:51PM
Great! These rappers who jack original music and puff their crap around it have got to go! New generations hear their "copied" rendition of their crap and think that they are the original artist to make that material. All credit goes to them too which is pathetic. There are countless rappers who do this, and the ones that DO get the rights DO deserve to avoid any of these lawsuits. And the guy above me is full of shit when he says "black people are the most stolen from" WHERE ARE YOUR RESOURCES TO PROVE THIS? This seems like another "pity the black race" when CLEARLY RACE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! This is offensive when people say that kind of shit.
Because they have no money? You're crazy. In my "Hood" majority of the "Blacks" are very well off. Any MOST if not ALL that I know and are friends with steal in one way or the other. AND I recall a black man telling me (admitting) that Piracy is What Black people do. I don't buy that though, because RACE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS TOPIC.
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