(AllHipHop News) Top Dawg’s top dog Kendrick Lamar is being sued, but it does not seem to be his fault.
According to court documents, producers for his 2018 Grammy-award winning song for best rap/sung performance, which featured automatic hit-maker Rihanna, “Loyalty,” did not fully credit everyone responsible for its creation.
Musician Terrance Hayes is suing Lamar and producers, Josef Leimberg and Terrance Martin, claiming that he had worked for years with at least one of them and that a different unfinished version of the song was used to create the hit.
Hayes maintains that both songs even share the same name, and yet he has received no credit at all as a writer or producer.
“The infringing song copies substantial qualitative and quantitative portions of the subject track, including the same song title, similar subject matter, substantially similar note combinations, and structures, melodies, themes, rhythm, and kick and snare patterns,” stated Hayes in his lawsuit.
Hayes further states that his original (and copyrighted) version was recorded in 2011 with Leimberg. The two had been working together for almost a decade and the music that they produced was housed on Leimberg’s computer in Leimberg’s studio.
It was at this same studio that he met Martin but never worked with him. This adds to his utter shock when both Leimberg and Martin received all the glory that is attached to having a hit song (i.e. the awards, the publishing, and the royalties).
“Both the subject track and the infringing song use the same chord progressions, melodies, and other aspects throughout, and neither song features any changes in the musical elements as the recordings progress toward their conclusions,” Hayes said.
“The musical arrangements of both the infringing song and the subject track are identical,” he continued to explain. “Employing the same instruments played with the same timbre. In both recordings, the drums enter at exactly the same time.”
Hayes is seeking “unspecified damages and a permanent injunction preventing the defendants from further infringement” in his lawsuit. He also wants the bag, asking to receive all profits from the song and any publishing perks that might have come along with writing a mega song.
No word from the “Damn!” artist or Top Dawg, but it is clear in the dirty music game … when it comes to that big bank there hardly ever any loyalty.