In a copyright infringement lawsuit filed yesterday (December 15) in Brooklyn, American rapper 50 Cent is being sued by a musician who claims to own the rights to the beat used in 2007’s I Get Money.
The beat was originally produced by William "Apex" Stanberry, and Tyrone "Caliber" Simmons claims he had purchased Stanberry’s instrumental beat and had exclusive rights to the track.
The 28-year-old Simmons is an aspiring rap artist from Atlanta, Georgia and had been planning to use the beat for his own work. Seeking unspecified damages for the violation, Simmons also named the track creator and several music companies in his suit as well.
I Get Money was the third single released off of 50 Cent’s third studio album Curtis. It placed 14th on Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs of 2007, and was named one of the top 10 songs of 2007 by Time magazine. It also earned 50 Cent a Grammy nomination at the 2008 award ceremony.