Even Jay Z forgets about Tidal's existence: Rapper in court on copyright charges doesn't mention his flopped music streaming app when asked what his businesses were
- Jay Z was asked about his work during his testimony for copyright lawsuit
- He listed the many things he does but forget to say Tidal
- Tidal launched in March but has struggled to find users
It's not a good sign when even the owners of Tidal are forgetting about it.
But that's what happened in court this week with Jay Z, who is being sued for allegedly using a sample in his hit song Big Pimpin' without the original artist's permission.
Taking to the stand at the trial in LA, the rapper was questioned by his own lawyer as to what he did as a profession.
'I make music, I'm a rapper, I've got a clothing line, I run a label, a media label called Roc Nation, with a sports agency, music publishing and management. Restaurants and nightclubs … I think that about covers it,' he responded.
However his lawyer then reminded him of Tidal, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
'Yeah, yeah. Forgot about that,' Jay then said, drawing some laughs from the court.
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Forget something?: Giving testimony during his copyright lawsuit in LA Wednesday, Jay Z listed all the things he does - rapper, music label, clothing line - but forgot to mention Tidal, the controversial music streaming service he launched in March
Tidal launched in March offering only paid subscriptions, billing itself as the first of its kind music streaming service owned by artists, but it has struggled to compete against more established rivals Spotify, Pandora, both of which offer free streaming services supported by advertising, and Apple Music.
Jay and producer Timbaland are being sued by the heirs of Baligh Hamdi, who claim the pair stole four notes from the Egyptian love ballad Khosara Khosara without gaining the rights for their song Big Pimpin', the most successful track on Jay Z's fourth album.
Jay Z cracked jokes during his testimony on Wedneday, but also appeared to be taking the allegations seriously with no-nonsense, one-word answers.
The artist, whose real name is Shawn Carter, used one of his old CDs to illustrate his argument.
Referencing a credit to Khosara Khosara, he held the CD up to the jury and said: 'We have the rights as you can see on the bottom of the CD.'
Jay Z, who is married to Beyonce, had the court in Los Angeles laughing during his testimony as he argued his case.
Rap superstar Jay Z (left) and producer Timbaland (right) have appeared in court for the second day of their trial for allegedly using a sample in Big Pimpin' without the original artist's permission
Jay Z (pictured outside court Wednesday) had the court in Los Angeles laughing during his testimony
The courtroom burst into laughter when he was asked by his attorney about artists he had inspired, including Rihanna and Kanye West.
'Some people may have heard of him,' Jay Z's attorney Andrew Bart said of West.
'One or two. He's running for president,' the rapper replied.
When Pete Ross, the lawyer for Hamdi's heirs, attempted to show him a passage in a book Jay Z had written about his lyrics, the performer wryly said: 'You can read it from over there.'
Big Pimpin' (music video pictured) uses four notes from the Egyptian love ballad Khosara Khosara, composed by Baligh Hamdi
The rapper was more serious when questioned about the rights to Khosara Khosara, which he said he thought had been properly negotiated after issues were raised following the release of Big Pimpin'.
The Empire State of Mind rapper gave mostly curt answers, responding 'yes' or 'no' or 'correct' to many questions.
Lawyers for Jay Z and Timbaland, whose real name is Timothy Mosely, told jurors yesterday that Hamdi's family had been repeatedly paid for the use of Khosara Khosara.
Four notes from the song's 74 notes are repeated throughout Big Pimpin', a music expert testified Wednesday.
Jay Z said Mosely introduced the Khosara Khosara melody to him just as he was about to leave a meeting. He said there wasn't anything like it on the radio at the time, and he put together the bulk of the song over the next few hours.
Baligh Hamdi's (pictured) heirs are suing the two stars, saying they did not have the rights to use the 1957 song in Big Pimpin'
The rapper said he likes working with Timbaland because they push each other.
'He tells me his beats are better than my raps. I tell him my raps are better than his beats,' Jay Z said. 'It's an ongoing thing that I keep winning.'
Mosely and many in the courtroom laughed.
Jay Z sang the producer's praises, calling him a genius whose work transcends any one genre.
Ross has accused Jay Z of lacing vulgar lyrics over Hamdi's melody without receiving the proper permission, although the song's lyrics are not an issue in the case.
Jay Z declined to say Wednesday that the song, which is about leading a promiscuous lifestyle, was vulgar. He said the song featured 'adult lyrics' and he still enjoyed performing it.
'I like the song,' he said. 'It's pretty good.'
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