One of Hip Hop’s most acclaimed producers is taking a Japanese pianist to court over claims of sample infringement.
Billboard reports that RZA is suing Japanese actress/musician Meiko Kaji and Teichiku Entertainment over claims that he illegally sampled Kaji’s “Gincyo Watadori” on Kanye West’s 2010 song “Dark Fantasy.” The Wu-Tang Clan producer/emcee contends that he did not sample the song in question and has been denied payment by West’s label Def Jam as a result.
The suit initially began when Def Jam withheld RZA’s $50,000 royalty check for the song basis that, “it is entitled to indemnification from plaintiff against defendant’s copyright infringement claim.” RZA’s legal representative Howard King explained that the plaintiff’s claim is false, and that it would have been impossible to use the sample without including other elements Kaji’s original song.
“RZA did not use Teichiku’s piano run, and it sounds different from the one in ‘Dark Fantasy,’ ” explained King. “In fact, it would have been technologically impossible to sample the piano run without the rest of the music in ‘Gincyo Watadori,’ and the piano run in ‘Gincyo’ is so simple that the least talented person in the studio could have replayed it had anyone wished to do so.”
In addition to this latest legal battle, RZA faces a lawsuit for unpaid royalties from Dutch singer Thea Van Siejaen. RZA’s Wu-Tang partners Ghostface Killah and Raekwon were also recently sued for copyright infringement over songs featured on their respective albums, Supreme Clientele and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. 2.
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lol RZA is a freaking liar. He’s not going to win against her, and he’s never getting that royalty check.
Go to youtube.com/watch?v=iaqpkWUfLrw to 0:16 and you can hear the sample. I think he sampled the bit right before the piano and chopped it up a little as well.
one of the best producers ever
Really? You racists need to gtfo.
Nigga. Get the fuck out with this bullshit. Your username is Wow, shoot yourself.
just watched man with the iron fists this week. pretty dope. i hope he keeps making movies
Obvious sample
Japan should sue rza for wu-tang stealing there asian flava.
You just stole my comment lol
Wu-Tang is chinees you silly rabbit
Yea I was going to say Wu-tangs Chinese.
Fuck both you niggas. China and Japan is the same shit, I don’t give a fuck where Wu-Tang comes from.
All anyone’s proven is Wu Tang doesn’t know the difference between Chinese and Japanese. They just watched some busted ass VHS tapes.
Who cares about the difference? Both countries should get together and sue these niggas
Since RZA knows music theory, he probably replayed it, but he does still need to clear the re-played sound recording with whomever is the artist/musician on the song (which is Meiko) and not a record label. I wish these major producers would clear their samples since their rich enough to afford it but then again it seems like a pretty simple riff. If he did in fact sample the actual sound recording, then he needs to pay up. I remember reading about how someone filed a lawsuit against the Beastie Boys for Pass the Mic, but lost because the riff was too simple to have ownership on it. Let me know if I am missing anything.
First of All Meiko Kaji is a LADY HIPHOP DX!! and she aint JUST ANY LADY or a PIANIST. she is the actress who played LADY SNOWBLOOD. which is what the ENTIRE KILL BILL MOVIE was based on. RZA you people my nig, but dead this lawsuit, you wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for her.
“you wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for her”
wut.
I have perfect pitch.
It’s a sample.
Fuck u RZA. Thought you was a street nigga, not a suing one. If you got problems just catch this nigga Meiko on the streets and beat the shit out of him. Hope he sue you next week for being a bitch nigga.
It’s a chick, you fuckin faggot. Beating women isn’t street, makes you a bigger pussy, just ask Chris Brown.
It does sound like a sample from this song, just slowed down and chopped. It is a rather simple riff though. And WhoSampled do actually say that this is a sample (albeit, as it appears to be here, uncleared)
It’s so obvious that he used the strings and piano as a loop. What a load of bullshit that you can’t sample it without the rest of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLj4TYkUgyA
i’ve been dealing in samples for years. man this is a clear as day sample. maybe he didn’t do the beat 😉
sample or interpolation? does it matter i guess is the question
Ja Rule is the greatest rapper of all-time
nigga Meiko Kaji would kill Ja Rule on the mic
Pianist Meiko Kaji Suing RZA For Being A Bitch Made Nigga
RZA wouldn’t be suing if his lawyer didn’t find a loop in the system. No pun intended.
Rza you r wack ass n*gga! respect the real artists and stop braggin about being genius. and also you dont know any sh*t about asian culture. all you know is movies you’ve watched. I listen him on the radio. he was asked to be into any martial arts or not. He said that I know the philosophy. F*ck that! just say it you dont know any sh*t. nobody gonna blame you for this. also this is not the first law suit. he’s faced many law suits bcuz of sampling.
it’s a sample from Meiko Kaji’s song, I don’t get why he’s saying it’s not. checked both songs on youtube and it’s pretty much the same but on Dark Fantasy slowed it down
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https://hiphopdx.com//////////
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