A couple months after speaking out about the issue in November, a member of the Chicago Hip Hop group Hotstylz has filed a lawsuit against Eminem and Shady Records over what he claims is an uncleared sample of the group’s 2007 track “Lookin Boy” on the emcee’s 2013 hit “Rap God.”
Raymond Jones, one third of the trio Hotstylz, is reportedly suing Eminem and his label for $8 million over the sample clearance issue according to TMZ. The site put together a short video clip comparing a 25-second portion of “Rap God” to the original Hotstylz record from which it borrows heavily.
Listen to the comparison below:
In November, Raymond Jones, whose stage name is Raydio G, and Hotstylz rapper Krazee reacted to the obvious reference to their song in an interview with XXL.
“At first we was like, ‘Aight, cool,’ but at the same time, we was like, ‘Fuck Eminem,’ because he didn’t reach out to us,” Jones said of Eminem lifting their “Lookin Boy” flow. “He took so much of the record. That just don’t sit right with us. The thing is they used so much of the song, he could have reached out. He could have reached out to us directly. He could have found a way to reach out to us through some kind of channel. We just addressed that issue on a song called ‘Rap Fraud.’ We addressed how we felt about it.”
For additional Eminem coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
They want $8 million for sampling that piece of garbage track?? They should be glad Eminem even knows who they are. That sample was heard by millions of fans around the world (that this group could never reach). It was used by arguably the best track on Eminem’s album. People will be hearing Rap God 20 years from now when this little Chicago group is long gone.
If somehow they got a little butt-hurt because Eminem didn’t ask for permission, I would understand that. However, suing for $8 million is just selfish. Hopefully these money-grubbing losers won’t get s***.
Finally someone who’s speaks some real shit
he better settle this out of court and write that check. Business is business, fuck your feelings.
U sue for $8 million so u can settle for a lower amount. It’s called negotiating. Next time u take a dick sucking job remember this and ask for more than ur usually rate. Free advice. Ur welcome.
Get off of Eminem’s nuts for one sec and realize that this is business. If Eminem didn’t try to get the sample cleared, then it’s right that these guys are suing him.
Em looks like an angry lesbian these days.
Oh ha ha ha ha ha ha he did use their flow!!!! But it also sounds like Lookin boy is dissing him. So he just dissed them back using their own track? lol
Ems gotta cutta check.
He used 7 seconds of that same beat, and said “lookin boy” a handful of times but with his own lyrics. Think what you want, but the only thing that might hold up in court is the 7 second sample of their beat. And how much is that worth? May not even be enough to cover court costs. I agree with @SomeInternetGuy though. If Eminem did respect that group, and did it to pay homage, then….too bad their taking it the wrong way. If anything though, the lawsuit could be a way for “hotstylz” to gain media attention and awareness so people will buy their old music, because “Eminem sampled them, so they must be good.” I may not be an OG hip-hop head, but ive been listening for 15 years, and I’ve never heard of Hotstylz until this.
Eminem is the best that’s it
these guys are either on crack, stupid or broke as fuck and as a resort suing Eminem that not hip hop if they where rappers the should call him out and diss him like a real rapper just a bunch of broke gimps looking for quick money and a guarantee they wont get a penny coz they couldn’t even afford a top lawyer so………
Nicca PLEAZE!!! …. cause they mention the word ‘boy’?@!# GTFOH…… that is NOT the same song! Thirsty azz bozos…… good try! NEVA HEARD OF YOU!
To be fair they should have been credited for the interpolation in the Marshal Mathers LP 2 booklet, it would have been the right thing to do. I’m not sure if blame would fall on Eminem himself or the publishing people. Suing for $8 million is excessive though and a bit misguided considering that the whole point of Rap God was about nostalgia and paying homage to the various pioneers within Hip Hop. Yung Joc himself took the sample as a compliment was cool about it, see https://hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.2342/title.yung-joc-calls-eminem-nicki-minaj-s-use-of-lookin-boy-flattering
Hotstylz are clearly just trying to make money from old rope and if that’s an unfair analogy then I’ll simply just point at hip hip’s origins and leave it there.
To be fair they should have been credited for the interpolation in the Marshal Mathers LP 2 booklet, it would have been the right thing to do. I’m not sure if blame would fall on Eminem himself or the publishing people. Suing for $8 million is excessive though and a bit misguided considering that the whole point of Rap God was about nostalgia and paying homage to the various pioneers within Hip Hop. Yung Joc himself took the sample as a compliment was cool about it (the article is even on this site). Hotstylz are clearly just trying to make money from old rope and if that’s an unfair analogy then I’ll simply just point at hip hip’s origins and leave it there.
Sure that’s the same. But is this that case to be brought to the court? I mean, nowadays many rappers take other one’s flows in their songs. And Eminem do that aswell… And as a STAN I’d like to mention that Eminem loves doing such things and this is not a robbery. Eminem usually takes things from other artists and that’s getting kinda joke… And these guy just an asshole. Why does he give a fuck? He has no money and he want to earn some from Eminem by making a court force him? That’s so low…
whether or not HotStylz has no money is not the issue. The issue is that he honestly used the same beat and used the “lookin boy” lines in his song which is a massive hit. Eminem made money off of something that is not his, therefore, he owes money to the people that should get the credit. If Eminem had asked for permission or give them some type of credit, this would never have happened.
scooby dooby dooooooooooooooo. mike vick lookin ass nigga
HAHAHA HOTSTYLZ IS A BROKE ASS LOSER WHOS HUSTLIN THE WRONG WAY!#WHOTHEFUCKISHOTSTYLZAGAIN#WHAT#WHO#HOWABOUTMAKINMONEYOFMUSIC#VOTEOBAMA
HAHAHA THERE WOULD NEVER COME MUSIC OUT OF THE INDUSTRY IF WEAK LAWSUITS LIKE THIS START TRENDIN!
So the so called greatest rapper ever is BITING from some nobody’s.
Talking about being original!
Sue this fraud
Ja Rule, is that you?
Fuuuck OK could you imagine if everyone walked around naked bitch just pussy out? I would be hard all the time . And
8 million? good luck.
Eminem used the song as parody, under the fair use doctrine. He was making fun of homosexuality and horrible rappers if you actually listen to the lyrics when the use of Hot Stylz begins. It’s not like he was biting their style because it’s good. That should be clear to anyone who knows anything about rap.
^^^exactly
What a bunch of morons. That rap fraud-song..? Jeeez.
So wait, you dissed Eminem – and since nobody heard it or cared, you… sued Eminem. Anybody ever heard Money off the Burning Bridges album by Ludacris? Real shit.
All you robin thick and Elvis thieves need to pay the black man stop acting like us and stealing from us over and over pay up white girls m$m want to be black
It’s not even a sample.. it’s a parody.
People keep parroting the word sample. Got listen to Lookin’ Boy then Rap God.. that’s no sample. This won’t be a case.
The thirst is real…
These lookin ass boYs need to get a life, eminem wipes his ass with $8 million
Your just now deciding to sue. Wow. EMINEM FOREVER!!
There’s nothing to be worried about…Eminem will have it all covered..hotstlyz better go for easy money somewhere else!!