50 Cent sued for copyright infringement

Rapper 50 Cent stole some of the lyrics for his 2003 hit, In Da Club, from a song by former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell, an attorney has claimed in a lawsuit filed in Miami.

Richard Wolfe filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against Curtis James Jackson, aka 50 Cent, in Miami federal court last week on behalf of Lil’ Joe Wein Music. Parts of In Da Club, from the album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, copy It’s Your Birthday, released in 1994 on Campbell’s solo album, Still a Freak for Life, the lawsuit alleged.

Lil’ Joe Wein Music holds the copyright to It’s Your Birthday and other songs Campbell produced with his rap group 2 Live Crew and as a solo artist.

Lil’ Joe Wein Music is owned by Joseph Weinberger, a lawyer who formerly represented Campbell.

Campbell’s song I Like It, I Love It can also be heard on the 2003 DVD 50 Cent - The New Breed, the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages in addition to lawyers’ fees and other legal costs.