Jay Z, Kanye West And Frank Ocean Being Sued For Copyright Infringement

Jay Z can't catch a break when it comes to lawsuits and this time Kanye West and Frank Ocean are being hit up too.

According to HipHopDX, the three music makers are being sued over a song called "Made In America" from the 2011 album Watch The Throne.

Joel McDonald says that they used his song of the same name in the making of their own.

McDonald, a musician from New York, is seeking $3 million in damages.

But this is nothing new for Hov and Yeez. Back in 2011, they were sued by soul musician Syl Johnson for sampling his song "Different Strokes" without permission for "The Joy."

Representatives for the rappers denied the allegations, however, they did acknowledge that the song was released prior to Watch the Throne.

It has been reported that Jay Z and Kanye West cited federal copyright law in their defense. They claimed that because the song was made before 1972 (when the law was enacted regarding covers), they were legally able to use it.

In 2011, Jay Z was also hit with a lawsuit regarding his hit "Big Pimpin."

The lawsuit was filed by Osama Ahmed Fahmy, heir to a 1960s composer named Baligh Hamdy who created the musical composition "Khosara, Khosara."

In the lawsuit, Fahmy claims he licensed his fathers song and claims Jay Z violated that by sampling it with his 2000 collaboration with UGK.

While Jay Z and his label argue they obtained the proper license and did nothing wrong, the rapper refused a deposition back in July.

Check out Joel McDonald's version of "Made In America" below.

Tags

Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean