Gospel Singers Clara Shepherd and Jimmy Lee Weary are going on a suing spree and have Jay Z, Rick Ross, Dr. Dre and the Universal Music Group in their crosshairs over the 1976 song I'm So Grateful. The duo, who performed in the group Crowns of Glory, accuse UMG and Def Jam in the case as well. All defendants allegedly stole music and lyrics without permission, according to the case which was filed in Illinois District Court on Wednesday. They also claim their spiritual tune has been defaced in 3 Kings.
Counsel for Shepherd and Weary argue that the defendants sampled and copied substantial elements from the original work without permission.
God Forgives – I Don’t has Weary listed as one of the writers of 3 Kings, though the filing claims he was never contacted to use his name there either.
"After the current use of Plaintiffs’ copyrighted work on the rap album by Rick Ross, Dr. Dre, Jay Z and Jake One, Plaintiffs’ song will soon have no value in the gospel community," says the lawsuit, which calls for "punitive, exemplary, and enhanced damages."
