NEW YORK – MIAMI - Rapper 50 Cent stole some of the lyrics for his 2003 hit "In Da Club" from a song by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell, an attorney claims in a lawsuit.
Richard C. Wolfe filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against Curtis Jackson, aka 50 Cent, in Miami federal court last week on behalf of Lil' Joe Wein Music.
Parts of "In Da Club," from the album "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", copy "It's Your Birthday," released in 1994 on Campbell's solo album "Still a Freak for Life," the lawsuit alleged.
A message left Friday for Wolfe was not immediately returned.
Lil' Joe Wein Music holds the copyright to "It's Your Birthday" and other songs Campbell produced with his rap group 2 Live Crew and as a solo artist. Lil' Joe Wein Music is owned by Joseph Weinberger, an attorney who formerly represented Campbell.
Campbell's song "I Like It, I love It" can also be heard on the 2003 DVD "50 Cent The New Breed," the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in addition to attorneys' fees and other legal costs.
Wolfe won a $2.3 million judgment against Campbell in 1994 for another rapper who claimed Campbell withheld royalties.
A message left Friday for Dennis Dennehy, 50 Cent's publicist, was not immediately returned.
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