Jay-Z appeared in Los Angeles in the courtroom on Wednesday to testify in a copyright infringement over his song, "Big Pimpin." Jay-z and Timbaland by the heir of an Egyptian composer, Baligh Hamdi, who created the 1957 hit song, “Khosara Khosara” that contains some elements of the Jay-z song, "Big Pimpin".
Jay-z testifies for 90 mins recounting his life, successes, and creative processes leading to producing the hit song with Timbaland. When the opponent's attorney asked why he didn't ensure they had rights to the song before they released the single, Jay-z said;
I didn’t think there was a sample in it," said Jay Z (real name Shawn Carter). "Timbaland presented me with a track. I didn’t even think about there being a sample," he continued, noting Timbaland is known for rarely sampling.
Showing the juror a physical copy of the album,Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter, Jay-z said; We have the rights as you can see on the bottom of the CD, while pointing to the line that credits "Khosara Khosara".
Watch Jay-z and Timbaland leaving court...
Jay-z said that he thought the rights to “Khosara Khosara” had been properly negotiated after issues were raised following the release of “Big Pimpin’.”
According to Jay-z and Timbaland lawyers, Hamdi's family had been repeatedly paid for the use of the song.
Listen to Khosara Khosara here
Listen to Jay-z big pimpin here