A copyright lawsuit was filed Wednesday (October 31) in Manhattan’s Southern District Court against rapper Jay-Z and his various label affiliations by a woman claiming she wasn’t paid for her contribution to Jigga’s hit single “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).”
Demme Ulloa asserts that it’s her singing “H to the Izzo/ V to the Izzay,” the melodic hook used in the chorus of the track, though she never signed a contract and thus far hasn’t seen a penny for her efforts, according to her lawyers. She’s seeking a permanent injunction to stop further sales of the song, $1 million and damages relating to record sales to be determined by a judge. The copyright infringement action names Jay-Z (real name: Shawn Carter), the Island Def Jam Music Group, Universal Music and Roc-A-Fella Records, the label Jay founded with Damon Dash in 1996.
Spokespeople for Island Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records didn’t return calls by press time.
Judge Barbara Jones scheduled a hearing for November 8, when she’ll decide whether to grant the plaintiff’s request to pull the CD single and Jay-Z’s album The Blueprint, which contains the song, from stores until the dispute is resolved.
The Blueprint will be the #11 album on next week’s Billboard 200 albums chart. It has sold upwards of 1.3 million copies, according to SoundScan.
