 Kanye West's albums include Late Registration and College Dropout |
A DJ who is being sued by hip-hop star Kanye West over claims he tried to release tracks West produced before he was 18 has launched a counter case. Eric "E-Smoove" Miller's action disputes West's claim that the pair did not have a contract when they worked together on 10 songs in the mid-1990s.
His new action claims West agreed Miller's company would own the songs.
West's suit had claimed Miller offered them to distributors using a fake contract with West's fake signature.
Miller, who owns Focus Music Group, is seeking $10.48m (�6m) and wants to be allowed to profit from the recordings.
Early career
West's lawyer Philip Hoffman said Miller's claim, lodged last month, was without merit because the DJ had no written contract to use West's work or his name.
In the original action, launched in August, the 28-year-old Grammy-winning star sought $1.3m (�728,000) from Chicago DJ Miller.
West also wanted Miller to stop using his name or voice in connection with the master recordings.
The disputed songs include Ho!!! and Stop Frontin'.
West began rapping as a teenager at his Chicago school, inspired by the beats and rhymes of 1980s pioneers Run DMC.
He rose to prominence by producing songs for artists such as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys.
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