Music

Kendrick Lamar is being sued for plagiarism

by Dan MacRae

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most original recording artists in the game today, but the copyright holders for a legendary singer-songwriter say one of Kendrick’s tunes ripped them off, and there are damages to be paid.

The Guardian reports that Lamar was hit with a lawsuit on Thursday from Golden Withers Music and Musidex Music over the 2009 track “I Do This.” The suit claims “I Do This” was more “Bill Withers Did A Good Chunk Of This” with Withers’ 1975 cut “Don’t You Want to Stay” lifted without shame. No really, the camp with the copyright beef says Lamar admitted to Xeroxing the song “with a thumb to the nose, catch me if you can attitude.”

The suit seeks unspecified damages and a halt to the alleged infringement. (That means the song’s existence on Spotify in 2010 Overly Dedicated form would have to be nixed.) The legal action, which includes Top Dawg and Warner Music Group alongside Lamar in the defendant’s category, literally refers to “I Do This” as a “direct and complete copy” of the Withers tune.

Compare the two tracks for yourself below and sort out a verdict for yourself. By the way, the case was filed in the same court where Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams lost big money in their “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement showdown.

[h/t The Guardian]