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Ghostface Killah Sued Over Iron Man Samples

Composer of the superhero theme music says rapper used content without permission.

Ghostface Killah is the latest rapper to be haunted by the ghosts of uncleared samples past. The Wu-Tang Clan rhyme spitter has been named in a lawsuit stemming from his 2000 opus Supreme Clientele.
 

The album, widely regarded as a Wu-Tang classic, makes frequent use of the theme song from the 1966 cartoon television show Iron Man. But the song's composer, Jaques Urbont, says Ghostface didn't get clearance to use the song or properly credit him in the liner notes.
“Urbont is over 80 years old and would not normally encounter the defendant's rap music in the ordinary course of his dealings in the music industry or otherwise,” Urbont's lawyers said in a lawsuit obtained by AllHipHop.com.
“The defendants fraudulently concealed their use of the “Iron Man Theme” on Supreme Clientele. For instance, the liner notes of Supreme Clientele do not give any indication that Urbont's sound recording or compositions are contained on the album.”
The veteran composer wrote music for many popular television shows throughout his career, including All My Children and That '70s Show. He is reportedly seeking millions in damage.
Ghost has famously been using the Iron Man persona since the mid-'90s, naming his 1996 debut solo album after the comic book hero. Urbont's lawyers argue that it's time the celebrated rapper paid for the privilege.

(Photo: Brad Barkett/PictureGroup)

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