Rapper Lil Wayne is suing the producer of a song he performed that allegedly sampled another singer’s work without permission.
A lawsuit filed last year against Lil Wayne accuses him of copyright infringement, saying he failed to secure permission to sample folk singer Karma-Ann Swanepoel’s song “Once” on his track “I Feel Like Dying.”
A lawsuit filed last week by the rapper’s lawyers says Rebel Rock Productions Inc., of Coconut Creek, Fla., produced “I Feel Like Dying” and was responsible for obtaining any necessary licensing agreements.
Rebel Rock hasn’t responded to Lil Wayne’s claims and doesn’t have a lawyer named in court records. A telephone number listed for the company has been disconnected.
Last month, a federal magistrate ordered rapper Lil Wayne to turn over financial records for his Grammy-winning album, “Tha Carter III,” to Urband&Lazar Music Publishing, which published “Once.”
“I Feel Like Dying” isn’t a track on “Tha Carter III,” but a lawyer for Urband&Lazar argues that Lil Wayne promoted the album by singing that song in concert and allowing fans to download it for free on his Web site.
Lil Wayne is a New Orleans native whose real name is Dwayne Carter Jr.
Swanepoel is a native of South Africa now living in Florida.
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