Universal Music Group
Mary J. Blige ‘Real Love’ Sample Lawsuit Dismissed
Courts Used ‘Common Sense’
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Universal Music Group no longer has to ask about the 411 regarding a lawsuit filed against them over a sample in Mary J. Blige‘s classic “Real Love” single — the courts have ruled in favor of the record label to dismiss the suit because the judge says the two songs just don’t sound the same at all.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, the court examined both “Real Love” and the 1973 protest funk song, “Impeach the President,” by The Honey Drippers.
TufAmerica, the company that owns the rights to “Impeach the President,” argued UMG had illegally sampled the record by incorporating another song that had first sampled “Impeach the President” into “Real Love.”
But after comparing the “total concept and feel” using “good eyes and common sense,” the judge ruled the songs have nothing in common … one is a political anthem; the other is a heartbreak jam.
The suit was originally filed against UMG in April 2024 and pushed for damages. Mary J. Blige is not, and has never been, a defendant in the case.
Ironically, “Impeach the President” has been a big sample foundation for several Hip Hop classic tracks … Nas‘ “I Can,” J. Cole‘s “Wet Dreamz” and even Audio Two’s “Top Billin” — which is the sample used in “Real Love!!!”
