Multi-platinum selling rapper Lil Wayne is being sued for copyright infringement and unfair competition for a track off his Tha Carter III album.
Music-publishing company Abkco Music Inc owns the rights to the Rolling Stones’ hit “Play With Fire” and claim Weezy released an altered version without their permission.
The lawsuit states that Lil Wayne’s song “Playing With Fire” was noticeably derived from the Stones original by using the same lyrics and music in a recognizable manner.
Comparing the two versions, the suit displayed the Stones’ lyric “But don’t play with me, cause you’re playing with fire” and placed it against Weezy’s “But you can’t blame me if I set this stage on fire” as proof of the intentional deception.
Abkco also accuses the revised depiction of featuring “explicit, sexist and offensive language” that is capable of convincing listeners that they approved of the new Stones portrayal.
Included in the lawsuit are Wayne’s artistic collaborators and his record company Cash Money/Young Money.
Filed in a New York federal court yesterday (July 24), the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.
