The heirs of Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi take issue with Hov and Timbaland's 'vulgar' lyrics as they accuse the two rappers of illegally sampling the late musician's 1957 song.
- Oct 14, 2015
AceShowbiz - A copyright-infringement trial over Jay-Z's hit song "Big Pimpin' " started on Tuesday, October 13. The rapper attended the trial, sporting a dapper suit and tie while sitting between his lawyers at the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
He just silently observed while a lawyer for the heirs of Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi accused him and collaborator Timbaland of illegally sampling the late musician's 1957 song "Khosara Khosara" on their 1999 hit.
The "Big Pimpin' " lawsuit was brought in 2007 by Hamdi's nephew Osama Ahmed Fahmy, who claimed that the flute sample featured on the song wasn't properly licensed. During the Tuesday trial, his lawyer Peter Ross argued that the two hip-hop stars chose not to ask for permission to use Hamdi's track for their song because they knew the composer's family wouldn't give their approval due to the rappers' "vulgar" lyrics.
However, lawyers for Hov and Timbaland denied they didn't pay for sampling "Khosara Khosara". Timbo's attorney Christine Lepera admitted that her client first used the song without knowing it was copyrighted, but he later paid $100,000 to EMI Music Arabia to acquire the license.
The trial will resume on Wednesday with testimony from an expert on Egyptian music who began testifying Tuesday about Hamdi's life and influence.
