Afeni
Shakur’s Amaru Entertainment and Universal Music Group have been hit with a lawsuit
by R&B/Jazz singer Esther Williams, who claims Tupac Shakur and Ghostface
Killah both separately used her music without permission.The
lawsuit, which was filed in Washington D.C. Federal Court, seeks $10 million dollars
in damages, claiming Shakur used her often-sampled single "Last Night Changed
It All" without permission on the song "Late Night," from Shakur’s
2002 double album Better Dayz, which is the rapper’s fourth posthumous
album.In
a separate incident also specified in the lawsuit, Williams claims Ghosface Killah
also illegally sampled her 1976 tune on a skit titled "Last Night Skit,"
which is contained on Ghost Face’s critically acclaimed 2004 release, The Pretty
Toney Album.Williams,
a former Miss Black D.C., has worked with a number of artists, including Davey
Yarborough, Sir Roland Hanna, Bobby Felder and has opened for the likes of The
Temptations, Peaches and Herb. In
1998, Williams and her husband Davey Yarborough created the Washington Jazz Arts
Institute, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit organization dedicated to educating
and mentoring young and aspiring musicians.Williams
had no comment when contacted by AllHipHop.com, due to pending litigation.
