Beyoncé and Jay-Z Sued for “Black Effect”
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have found themselves in a legal situation. The Hollywood power couple and musicians are facing a lawsuit from a Jamaican artist Dr Stines; claiming she didn’t receive credit for her contribution to Black Effect.
In court documents obtained by E! News, Dr. Lenora Antoinette Stines is suing Beyoncé and Jay-Z for copyright infringement, right of publicity and unjust enrichment.
Dr. Stines claims in court documents that she supplied dancers for a video meant to promote Jay-Z and Beyoncé Everything is Love album and tour. She also alleged the couple wanted to record her views on love; which they would use in the video “for promotional purposes” only.
According to the Jamaica resident, Beyoncé and Jay-Z released and featured “the unauthorized exploitation of her vocals on a song known as Black Effect“. Listen to it here.
“Dr. Stines’ horror and chagrin were compounded when she realized that not only were her vocals featured on the recording and in the project; but she also discovered that she was not even credited by the defendants for providing her vocals,” court documents state. “This discovery left Dr. Stines feeling violated and as if the defendants had ‘artistically raped’ her.”
Black Effect is one of the tracks on the couple’s joint album titled Everything Is Love, which they released in June 2018. At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, the album won for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
According to court documents, the couple features Dr Stines’ vocals in the first 60 seconds of the recording; 19% of the total song. The plaintiff is seeking damages, legal fees, a portion of the publishing rights and a writer’s credit for the single
