Jay Z & Beyonce Get Sued By Jamaican Artist For Copyright

CNN is reporting a Jamaican artist credit for her contribution to their single “Black Effect.”

Lenora Antoinette Stines filed Tuesday in the United States District Court Central District of California to be compensated for copyright infringement, right of publicity and unjust enrichment.

THE LAWSUIT

The suit is centered around the song “Black Effect” from the couple’s joint 2018 album, “Everything is Love.” Jay-Z’s legal name is Shawn Carter and the album is credited to “The Carters.”

Stines, a Jamaican artiste claims the superstar duo took her work, used it on a key portion of the track, ‘Black Effect’, without giving her any credit or money. Stines is alleging that the experience had left her feeling ‘artistically raped.’

She told the court that the super-couple reached out to her in March of 2018 seeking local dancers to perform in a promotional video for a tour.

THE CARTERS

Two years ago, Stines had complained publicly to the media about not being credited on the album, ‘Everything Is Love’ by The Carters, aka Jay-Z and Beyoncé. after the album was released on streaming service Tidal.

Stines’ voice is featured on the track ‘Black Effect’.

“It was brought to my attention by my daughter; someone told her about it. I just don’t understand why I wasn’t credited. They interviewed me when they came here earlier this year and I didn’t know that it would’ve ended up on an album,” Stines told the media.

At the time, Stines had hinted that she was “contemplating options” to ensure she is credited. Fellow Jamaican, Rory StoneLove, music producer and sound system selector, is credited on the same album for his vocals on the track ‘Summer’.

By November 2020, Stines had dropped the lawsuit against Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Details regarding the reasons for the dismissal or any potential settlement were not disclosed as reported by CBS.

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