In what's surely one of the more head-scratching pieces of litigation we've seen in a while, Frank Ocean's "Super Rich Kids" has been named in a sampling lawsuit. What makes this case so unusual is that it surrounds the Honey Drippers' 1973 song "Impeach the President," a track that Ocean didn't actually sample.
How is this possible? Well, this Frank Ocean song from 2012's Channel Orange samples Mary J. Blige's 1992 single "Real Love," a song that in turn sampled Audio Two's 1988 cut "Top Billin.'" That Audio Two track used elements of the beat from the Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President."
It's apparently this chain of samples that has led the label TufAmerica to sue Vivendi and Universal Music Group in New York court. The Hollywood Reporter points TufAmerica owns just 3.15 percent of the Blige song, and they say that Ocean and his label didn't acquire a licence from them.
The lawsuit also involves other samples from separate songs, which are unrelated to Ocean. Read the papers here.
Previously, TufAmerica has launched suits surrounding songs by Jay Z and Beastie Boys, among others.
How is this possible? Well, this Frank Ocean song from 2012's Channel Orange samples Mary J. Blige's 1992 single "Real Love," a song that in turn sampled Audio Two's 1988 cut "Top Billin.'" That Audio Two track used elements of the beat from the Honey Drippers' "Impeach the President."
It's apparently this chain of samples that has led the label TufAmerica to sue Vivendi and Universal Music Group in New York court. The Hollywood Reporter points TufAmerica owns just 3.15 percent of the Blige song, and they say that Ocean and his label didn't acquire a licence from them.
The lawsuit also involves other samples from separate songs, which are unrelated to Ocean. Read the papers here.
Previously, TufAmerica has launched suits surrounding songs by Jay Z and Beastie Boys, among others.