JAY-Z Sues Australian Retailer Over 'AB to Jay-Z' Children's Book
“If you’re having alphabet problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but my ABC’s ain’t one!”
by Mallory ChinMulti-hyphenate JAY-Z has taken legal action against an Australian company that’s profiting from his likeness, reports The New York Times.
According to the report, the music mogul filed a lawsuit against Australian retailer The Little Homie for using his name and lyrics for a children’s book titled AB to Jay-Z. In his lawsuit, JAY-Z argues that the books and fashion seller knowingly infringed on his trademarks as well as engaged in misleading/deceptive conduct to sell products. It has also been reported that Jay’s legal team sent a notice telling The Little Homie to stop selling the product back in 2018, but the company did not do so.
“If you’re having alphabet problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but my ABC’s ain’t one!” the book’s description reads on the product page. It’s also worth mentioning that these “99 Problems” lyrics were interpolated from Ice-T’s 1993 song of the same name.
“This hip-hop inspired book is designed to pump up your child’s alphabet game,” the book description continues. “Let JAY-Z, Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Pharrell, Snoop [Dogg] and more, teach your little homie their ABCs. Relive some of the greatest Rap, Hip Hop, and R&B musicians of our time, while teaching your children where it’s at. There will always be an abundance of books to teach our kids about cats and apples. But who’s going to teach them the realest alphabet?”
In 2017, The Little Homie raised $8,000 USD on Kickstarter to create AB to Jay-Z. Keep it locked here as the story unfolds.
In related news, Ja Rule was legally cleared in $100M USD Fyre Festival lawsuit.