Brooklyn lyricist/actor Mos Def has always been known for being original, but now the MC is finding himself on the other end of a lawsuit.
Turkish composer Selda Bagcan is suing Mos for sampling her track “Ince Ince Kar Yaar” on his track “Supermagic” off of his Grammy-nominated The Ecstatic.
“Your style is very effective,” she said in a statement directed at Mos Def, “I expect you to respect the labor of others.”
Bagcan claims that she had no idea about her looped participation until she watched the recent Grammy Awards ceremony on television and heard the track.
According to the Hurriyet Daily News, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism agreed that no permission was granted to use the sample and decided to issue a cease-and-desist letter. Bagcan added the copyright suit, saying that she slaved over those recordings and deserves to get paid if they are used in any way other than what she officially condones.
“My life was spent in court,” she explained. “My trials were meant to intimidate others. My close friend and the legendary name of Anatolian rock music, Cem Karaca, spent his life in exile just like Nazõm Hikmet. Turkey did not own its values, leaving them to loneliness.”
No word on whether Mos Def has responded to either letter, but hopefully the lawsuit doesn’t hinder Mos from making another banging album. We already have a three year minimum to wait for each cd.
