CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot: TGS 2008 | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | MP3.com | TV.com | Metacritic
Gap Band singer sues over "Beautiful"
By Jim Welte - MP3.com
June 11, 2007 at 02:13:00 PM | more stories by this author

Charlie Wilson claims Heineken, Capitol Records, and its parent label EMI used song without permission.

For Charlie Wilson, a series of Heineken Light TV ads were the last straw.

Charlie Wilson Charlie Wilson

The R&B veteran, best known as the cofounder and frontman for the Gap Band, is suing Capitol Records and its parent label EMI for licensing the Snoop Dogg song "Beautiful," on which Wilson appears, to Heineken for the ads without his permission.

In a lawsuit filed late last week in US District Court in Manhattan, Wilson claims that portions of "Beautiful" featuring vocal performances by Wilson and Williams were licensed by Capitol Records for the commercial without permission, the suit said.

Wilson is not credited as a producer or writer on the track, as Pharrell Williams produced and he, Snoop Dogg, and Williams' Neptunes partner Chad Hugo cowrote it. Wilson also claims that if Capitol disputes his coownership of "Beautiful," then the label, EMI, and Heineken are guilty of copyright infringement.

Wilson also charged EMI had not paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits gained for "Beautiful" and for another song, "You've Got What I Want," which Wilson recorded with Snoop Dogg, Jelly Roll, Ludacris, and Goldie Loc. Capitol Music Group spokeswoman Jeanne Meyer declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Back to Today's News »

4 Comments

Oldest First | Newest First
if my lyrics were in a damn commercial.... id get so happy that i might run around my street a few times naked! but no, rich people sue for "copyright infringement" so they can get their hands on more money.... pathetic jerks.... be happy your song is in a commercial!
Posted 06/12/2007 7:26pm
rich people getting richer....lets whine so more
Posted 06/12/2007 8:10am
Sounds to me like Charlie about to get paid!
Posted 06/11/2007 8:11pm
It sounds like someone slipped up there.
Posted 06/11/2007 5:20pm
Sign up now to post a comment!
advertisement

Latest News

Treasure Island Update Treasure Island Update
Noise Pop and Another Planet Entertainment announce on site attraction "Treasure Trove" to 2nd annual Treasure Island Music Festival.

Picture Galleries

Related Artists

The Gap Band The Gap Band

The first major hit for the Gap Band was a snazzy juke toon called "Shake." Just prior to the completion of their first album, Charlie Wilson cited the song for his brothers, thinking they might ridicule the lyric. His brothers loved it though, and the song was a smash number four single on the R&B charts, elevating the group to national status....

Charlie Wilson

As lead singer for the Gap Band, Charlie Wilson sang on four number one R&B hits: "Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)," "Early in the Morning," "Outstanding," and "Addicted to Your Love" -- as well as the classics "You Dropped a Bomb on Me," "Yearning for Your Love," "Party Train," and "Big Fun." The band had three platinum albums, two gold...

Snoop Dogg Snoop Dogg

As the embodiment of '90s gangsta rap, Snoop Dogg blurred the lines between reality and fiction. Introduced to the world through Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop quickly became the most famous star in rap, partially because of his drawled, laconic rhyming and partially because the violence that his lyrics implied seemed real, especially after he was...

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams didn't only help change the face of pop music during the late '90s and early 2000s. He also was one of the faces of pop music -- as a charismatic star who often stole the show when producing and/or guesting on other artists' hit singles. His presence was unfading, whether he was in front of a music video or behind a...

Related Albums

The Gap Band "Y2K: Funkin' Till 2000 Comz"
The Gap Band
While Funkin til 2000 Comz is a solid record, it doesn't offer any groundbreaking material -- but that shouldn't bother Gap fans at all. The Wilson brothers are still going strong on this 1999 release, which includes guest stars Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik, Kurupt and Casey Wilson on the title track -- a worthy attempt at coupling old school funk with...
Charlie Wilson "Sexual Healing"
Charlie Wilson
""
"In My Mind: The Prequel"
Pharrell Williams
Data Warehouse Clear Gif