Beyoncé and JAY-Z have been named as defendants in a lawsuit brought against them by Jamaican artist Dr. Lenora Antoinette Stines, as CNN reports and Pitchfork can confirm via court documents. Stines, a 68-year-old dancer and choreographer, says that she was approached by representatives of the Carters to bring dancers together in Jamaica to shoot a video production that would be used in the promotion of their new album Everything Is Love. She claims she was asked to record a spoken-word segment and was asked to sign a clearance form while being assured the vocal clip would be used only for promotional material. The recording, however, ended up on the intro to the album’s “Black Effect,” she says.
Stines’ name is not among the list of credited “Black Effect” writers on Spotify, but she is credited under “Additional Vocals” and “Associated Performer” on TIDAL. According to the complaint, Stines felt violated and “artistically raped” after discovering that she had been sampled and left uncredited on the song.
Stines is seeking damages totaling over $75,000, a writing credit on “Black Effect,” a publishing percentage, and attorney’s fees. Pitchfork has reached out to Stines’ attorney, as well as representatives for Beyoncé and JAY-Z for comment and information.