Jay Z and Kanye West have found themselves embroiled in another controversy surrounding their 2011 album, Watch the Throne. According to XXL, New York musician Joel McDonald is suing the two artists, along with Frank Ocean, for $3 million over copyright infringement. McDonald alleged the their track “Made in America” off that album was cribbed from his own song with the same name. This is the second legal entanglement for Jay Z and Yeezus: in 2011, the two were also sued for copyright infringement by soul singer Syl Johnson, who claimed his vocals were illegally sampled on the song “The Joy,” which was also featured on Watch the Throne. A year later, both parties reportedly reached a settlement.
Does McDonald have a legitimate argument in this latest lawsuit? Compare his "Made in America" (1st video) with the Watch the Throne track (2nd video), and judge for yourself.