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Legendary music company Sugarhill Music is going after Warner-Chappell Music, over a classic Hip-Hop track created by rap group Naughty By Nature.
Sugarhill Music Publishing recently filed a lawsuit against Warner-Chappell Music in United States District Court, Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit stems from the track “Uptown Anthem,” which was released in 1991 by Naughty By Nature.
According to the lawsuit, Warner-Chappell Music is co-owner in the copyright of the track “Uptown Anthem.”
At the heart of the lawsuit is the three-syllable phrase “we gonna,” originally contained on a verse from the track “That’s The Joint,” by Funky 4 Plus 1.
According to the lawsuit, “Uptown Anthem” samples the three words “we gonna” a total of 41 times, as the song’s hook.
The lawsuit claims that “Uptown Anthem” is being commercially exploited by Warner-Chappell Music and is infringing on the original copyright, owned by Sugarhill Music.
Sugarhill Music seeks a full accounting of the profits made from “Uptown Anthem,” in addition to damages that may have been “sustained as a consequence of defendants infringement of plaintiffs copyright and to account for and pay to plaintiff all gains, profits and advantages derived by defendants from such infringement of plaintiffs copyright.”
Naughty By Nature is not named in the lawsuit.
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