In 2010, MAC Miller released a single entitled 'Kool Aid and Frozen Pizza' based on Lord Finesse's own 1995 track 'Hip 2 Da Game,' The song was made available as part of a free internet mixtape, entitled Kids (Kickin' Incredibly Dope Sh*t) but two years down the line, his decision to make the song available has come back to haunt him. MTV News has reported today (July 11, 2012) that Lord Finesse has filed a $10 million lawsuit against MAC Miller, as well as Rostrum Records and DatPiff.com.
The news originally broke on Monday (July 9, 2012), via the Courthouse News Service. The complaint received by CNS stated "This is a case about a teenage rapper - MAC Miller - copying the music from a song written, produced and performed by Lord Finesse, a hip hop legend, changing the title and then distributing it under his own name in order to launch his music career." MAC Miller has attempted to defend himself via Twitter, posting a series of messages that read "1. I made that record and video as nothing more than an 18 year old kid who wanted to rhyme and pay homage, no other intentions" and then "2. Finesse and I spoke on the phone for an hour after he heard the record and cleared the air. We even planned to work on music together."
He also went on to claim that Finesse never cleared the sample of Oscar Peterson's 1971 jazz track 'Dream of You' which is used in the original track. The suit filed by Finesse alleges "copyright infringement, unfair competition, unjust enrichment, interference, deceptive trade practices and a host of other claims related to state copyright law." As yet, there is no comment from Rostrum Records, the label that Miller shares with the likes of WIZ KHALIFA.