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Wyclef Jean Being Sued For Copyright Infringement
By Miles Bennett ♦ Published 01/10/2008

Brooklyn rapper, Blahz, recently revealed via an appearance on The Wendy Williams radio show that he has filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan U.S. District Court against Wyclef Jean for copyright infringement, claiming the rapper allegedly sampled one of his past songs without permission.

Blahz (real name: Martell Ellis) claims that Wyclef sampled his 1996 chart topping single, "Danger," for the first single from his latest album Carnival 2 called "Welcome To The East."

In the lawsuit, Wyclef and Sony BMG are both named, and both parties are expected to receive litigation papers this week.

Although the amount Blahz is seeking remains unknown, Wendy Williams speculated that the rapper is seeking $50 million in punitive damages.

He did not deny or confirm Williams' guess, but did say he is seeking "a lucrative sum."

In a released statement regarding the suit, Blahz said that he felt compelled to take legal action to send the message to major labels and "big name" artists that lesser known acts shouldn't be taken advantage of.

"Being a part of the music industry over the past decade has been a rewarding experience, but I've also witnessed, first-hand, artists such as myself getting taken advantage of and legally violated by record labels and 'big name' artists alike -- not to mention commercial artists constantly stealing from the underground," said the rapper. "I was left with no choice but to move forward with my decision to take full legal action against Wyclef Jean, and Sony BMG, on behalf of myself and the all the artists around the world who have been the victim of blatant disrespect."

According to the rapper, since he has went public with his lawsuit, he has received overwhelming support from various artists across the country -- including The Beatnuts, whose sample from their "Off The Hook" single was sampled on J Lo's "Jenny From the Block," single, yet no credit or monetary compensation was given in return.

"A message has to be delivered to the music industry that these unjust common business practices can't be ignored or swept under the rug anymore," Blahz added.

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