Don’t be confused by the headline. No, there hasn’t been a time warped to the early millennium, this is simply a story no one could have anticipated. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jay-Z may soon find himself in court over claims he illegally sampled another track for his smash hit “Big Pimpin.” You can read an excerpt from the story below:

Jay-Z is being sued by the family of Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi, who wrote the song “Khosara, Khosara” for a 1957 Egyptian film named Fata Ahlami.

Hamdi’s children are suing EMI, MTV, Paramount Pictures, UMG and Warner Music over the track.

Although Jay-Z’s team obtained a license to use the song under United Statescopyright law, the lawsuit claims he didn’t have the proper rights to loop and rap over the sample.

The lawsuit claims that although Jay-Z obtained a license to use the sample, he didn’t have the rights to loop the sample and rap over it under Egyptian copyright laws.

Jay- also failed to get permission from all of Hamdi’s children, who each own an interest in the composition.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2005 and was dismissed in 2007, because all of the owners of the rights to the song were not listed in the original court filing.

Big Pimpin’ was featured on Jay-Z’s hit album, Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter., which has sold millions of copies.

Hamdi’s children are seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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