WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) — Kendrick Lamar is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit for allegedly ripping off singer Bill Withers’ song “Don’t You Want To Stay” in 2009.
A lawsuit obtained by TMZ and Billboard states the Compton-born rapper used a sample from the 1975 track for his own “I Do This” without proper permissions.
“The musical composition ‘I Do This’ consists of nothing more than new, so-called Rap or Hip-Hop lyrics, set to the existing music of ‘Don’t You Want To Stay,’” the suit, filed by Mattie Music Group, read.
The company, which claims to own the rights to the Withers song, also said Lamar has “openly admitted” to using the song without permission, but with “a thumb to the nose, catch me if you can attitude.”
Defendants in the suit include Lamar, Warner Bros. Music, TDE, Hard and Warner/Chappell. Plaintiffs are pursuing damages over the alleged instance of copyright infringement.
Kendrick Lamar’s “I Do This” appeared in his 2009 self-titled record, Kendrick Lamar EP.
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