Even the game’s most respected OGs are not impervious to catching the occasional L. Such is life for Jeezy, who recently found himself on the losing end of a legal battle. According to the ever-vigilant TMZ, Jeezy recently spent some in court over his track “I Ball I Stunt,” which appeared on his mixtape The Real Is Back back in 2011. According to the lawsuit, Jeezy allegedly “stole” the entire track from one Edaz Redden, who sued Jeezy over the transgression back in 2015. It would appear that Redden initially gave a demo of the track in question to a producer, and was surprised to see it pop up on Jeezy’s mixtape, essentially unaltered.
TMZ’s documents allege that a judge sided with Redden, ordering Jeezy to pony up a staggering $111,347.29 out of pocket. Despite claiming he was never “properly served,” Jeezy’s excuse did little to sway the judge. Evidently, Jeezy is lucky that he indeed balls and stunts in equal measure; one-hundred-thousand dollars is far from a small expense. Suffice it to say, it’s a big win for Redden, and hopefully Jeezy can bounce back from the setback.
If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it’s that one should most probably avoid stealing people’s music at all costs. While mixtape culture seems to promote the notion of “it’s free, so it doesn’t matter,” the reality is that a judge will probably not see it that way. Clear your samples.
