Kendrick Lamar and his label Top Dawg Music are being sued for a Bill Withers sample used in the song “I Do This” from his 2013 Kendrick Lamar EP mixtape.
“The musical composition “I Do This” consists of nothing more than new, so-called Rap or Hip Hop lyrics, set to the existing music of “Don’t Want You To Stay,” reads the suit filed by Mattie Music Group, who claims to own the rights to Withers’ 1975 record, which appeared on the Making Music, Making Friends album.
The plaintiffs are pursuing damages, accusing Lamar, Warner Bros. Music, TDE, Hard and Warner/ Chappell of copyright infringement.
The suit also states that given that “I Do This” is still being offered for sale and available for download on “various internet music providers,” “Plaintiffs are informed and believe that Defendant Lamar has openly admitted that his musical composition ‘I Do This’ copies the music of ‘Don’t Want You To Stay’ with a thumb to the nose, catch me if you can attitude.”
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