Photo: Wenn
Jay-Z has attempted the dodge the blame for an unauthorised sample used in his 1999 hit, 'Big Pimpin', produced by Timbaland.
The pair were being sued by Osama Fahmy who was the nephew of the late Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi who claims there was no sample clearance from the snippet used from Hamdi's 1960 song 'Khosara Khosara'.
Speaking in court, Jay Z said: "I didn’t think there was a sample in it", according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Timbaland presented me with a track. I didn’t even think about there being a sample." This point was backed by Timbaland's reputation for rarely samping.
Jay Z was a busy being a hustler back in late nineties so obviously didn't have time to check whether the sample was cleared: "That’s not what I do. I make music... There’s a team of hundreds of people, [clearing samples] is their job. That’s not my job."
Timbaland's attorney told jurors that the producer had extracted from Hamdi's song thinking it was royalty free. He later paid $100,000 to EMI Music Arabia who claimed rights to the sample.
Fahmy's original charges were based on the explicit content of the track, namely the enormity of the 'pimpin' in question. His lawyer told The Guardian, "They used it with a song that, even by Jay Z’s own admission, is very vulgar and base. That’s really why this is so significant to my client. They not only took music without paying. They’re using it in a song that is, frankly, disgusting."
Have a listen to both tracks back-to-back, see if you can spot the sample below
But these charges are just a drop in the ocean for Jigga. He's been keeping himself busy with the Tidal festival and the hassle of being the highest paid rapper of 2015.
