Pitchfork

On the 1972 Afro-funk jam "Soul Makossa", the Camaroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango opens things up by muttering "mama-koo mama-sa maku ma-ku-sa" before his ridiculously pimped-out sax riff kicks in. New York loft party DJs picked up on the song, and it ended up becoming one of the staples of the just-revving-up disco scene. A decade later, Michael Jackson tweaked that chant for his eternal pop-funk banger "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", turning it into "mama-say mama-sa mama ma-ku-sa." According to a Guardian report, now Dibango is suing a bunch of people over that perceived swipe. Because it's 1983. Oh wait. No it isn't.

The reason for this particular burst of litigation: Rihanna's dance-pop burner "Don't Stop the Music", Pitchfork's #70 single of 2008, sampled Jackson's "mama-say" chant to great effect. As the Guardian reports, Dibango actually already sued Jackson back in the day, and the two settled out of court. But when Rihanna's people cleared the Michael Jackson sample, they didn't get Dibango's permission, and now he wants his. Dibango is now suing Sony BMG, Warner Music, and EMI over the use of that chant.