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Jamie Foxx sued for plagiarism on new single
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 22 September 2014
Entertainer Jamie Foxx has found himself in legal trouble over his first new single for four years, released last week, ‘Party Ain’t A Party’. Record label Nontra Records claims that the track is a rework of a recording it owns that was made by singer J Rand last year.
The company’s slightly complicated lawsuit, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, says that producer DJ Mustard originally gave the track’s instrumental to Rand’s then label Poe Boy Records. The singer recorded vocals for the track, after which Nontra bought out his recording contract and paid to mix and master the final recording. The label says it then began initial radio promotions for the song in October last year, but at that point DJ Mustard “went radio silent”.
More recently Foxx’s new single emerged, which, says Nontra, not only uses the same instrumental as Rand’s song, but also lifts lyrics directly from it too. In fact, Nontra claims, “the only discernible difference found between the [two songs] is the choice of featured guest artist” – 2 Chainz appearing on Foxx’s single, and IAMSU! on Rand’s.
Nontra says that Poe Boy Records was the sole owner of the copyright in the original track – the combined DJ Mustard and J Rand collaboration – and that it then acquired ownership when it purchased Rand’s contract.
The company is seeking $150,000 jointly from Foxx, DJ Mustard and 2 Chainz for copyright infringement, as well as additional individual payments of $150,000 from both Foxx and DJ Mustard for contributory copyright infringement.
You can read the full lawsuit via The Hollywood Reporter, and listen to the two tracks below.
Jamie Foxx – Party Ain’t A Party (feat 2 Chainz)
J Rand – Party Ain’t A Party (feat IAMSU!)