LMFAOVEVO/YouTube
If you’ve been in any sort of club, house party, high school dance, or pretty much anywhere that a person would be dancing, you’ve heard LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem.” The song was released in 2011 as the first single off their second album, Sorry for Party Rocking, and it quickly became one of their biggest hits. It won the MTV Movie Award for Best Music after it was featured in 21 Jump Street and it was the 2012 favorite song at the Kids’ Choice Awards.
Three years after the single was released — and more than a year after LMFAO took a break from music — Rick Ross filed suit against the rap duo for copyright infringement. Ross claims that LMFAO’s hook in “Party Rock Anthem” was taken from his 2006 song “Hustlin’.”
The suit reads, “‘Everyday I’m shufflin’…’ in ‘Party Rock Anthem’ is performed in a manner to sound like ‘Everyday I’m hustlin’…’ in ‘Hustlin’’ is a prominent hook of ‘Party Rock Anthem’ and is an obvious attempt to capitalize on the fame and success of ‘Hustlin’’.”
The timing of the suit is a little strange: three years after the single was released? It makes us wonder whether Ross is either trying to capitalize on LMFAO’s success — since “Party Rock Anthem” is still a party anthem — or attempting to stay relevant. Either way, c’mon Ross, rappers sample hits from previous years all the time.
