Lil Wayne slapped with copyright lawsuit
Last Updated: Sunday, November 1, 2009 | 2:36 PM ET
CBC News
Rapper Lil Wayne is also facing possible jail for attempted criminal possession of a weapon. (Universal Music Canada)Lil Wayne, who faces yet more legal woes, is now being sued for copyright infringement along with fellow rapper Birdman.
Florida resident Thomas Marasciullo says the pair used his voice without permission on several tracks.
The Grammy-winning Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Carter, is already facing a jail term after pleading guilty last week to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He is slated to be sentenced at New York State Supreme Court in February.
Marasciullo says that back in 2006, he was asked to record "Italian-styled spoken-word recordings" for Cash Money Records, the rappers' record label. Cash Money was co-founded by Birdman, whose real name is Bryan Williams, with his brother, Ronald.
Marasciullo says those recordings were used in four tracks in the rappers' joint album Like Father, Like Son and also on five tracks on Birdman's 5 (Star) Stunna record.
Like Father, Like Son became a gold-selling release in 2006.
Marasciullo is also suing Cash Money Records and Universal Music and is seeking unspecified damages.
In his filing in a Manhattan court Friday, the Florida man contends that after he started to ask for compensation, his son was fired from his job as a recording engineer at Cash Money.
Marasciullo says he only discovered his work had been used when his daughter heard the song Respect from Like Father, Like Son while trying to download a ring-tone version of the Aretha Franklin single of the same name.
With files from The Associated Press
