Pitchfork

Have you ever heard late saxophonist Joe Farrell's 1974 composition "Upon This Rock"? No? Evidently, you don't produce rap records for a living. Over the years, the track has been sampled by the likes of Pete Rock, A Tribe Called Quest, and the RZA, among many others. It's not quite "Funky Drummer", but it's up there.

Accordng to Reuters, Farrell's daughter filed a lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court of New York against Kanye West, Common, Method Man, Redman, and their respective Universal Music Group-owned labels, seeking at least $1 million in punitive damages and a halt to any further sales, performances, or manufacturing of new copies of a trio of offending tracks that sample "Upon This Rock".

Those tunes? Kanye's "Gone" from Late Registration, Common's "Chi-City" from Be (incidentally, also produced by Kanye), and Method Man and Redman's RZA-produced "Run 4 Cover" from 1999's collaborative LP Blackout! The lawsuit claims that the tune was used without approval, a familiar story in the annals of rap history.

All four rappers have summer tour dates lined up, laid out after the jump. And according to Billboard.com, Common just announced that the first single from his new album Invincible Summer (due in July on Geffen) will be "Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)" It was produced by and features Pharrell.

Kanye West:

05-23 Chicago, IL - United Center *#!
05-24 Chicago, IL - United Center *#!
05-25 Fargo, ND - Fargodome *#!
05-26 Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre *#!
05-27 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Credit Union Centre *#!
05-29 Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place *#!
05-30 Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome *#!
06-02 Vancouver, British Columbia - GM Place *#!
06-03 Portland, OR - Rose Garden *#!
06-05 Reno, NV - Reno Events Center *#!
06-06 San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion *#!
06-07 Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center *#!
06-08 Phoenix, AZ - Jobing.com Arena *#!
06-09 Salt Lake City, UT - E Center *#!
06-11 Minneapolis, MN - Target Center *#!
06-12 Moline, IL - i Wireless Center *#!
06-13 Cincinnati, OH - U.S. Bank Arena *#!
06-14-15 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo *
08-01 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
08-09 Baltimore, MD - Pimlico Race Course (Virgin Festival)

* with Lupe Fiasco
# with N.E.R.D.
! with Rihanna

Common:

06-26 Milwaukee, WI - SummerFest
07-05 Cologne, Germany - Fuhlinger See (Summer Jam)
07-08 Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
07-09 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
07-11 Frauenfeld, Switzerland - Frauenfeld Open Air Festival
07-13 Joensuu, Finland - Ilosaarirock Festival
09-27 Chicago, IL - TBA (Common Ground Foundation Event)

Method Man and Redman:

07-19 Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells tour)
07-20 Toronto, Ontario - Arrow Hall (Rock the Bells tour)
07-26 Boston, MA - Tweeter Center (Rock the Bells tour)
07-27 Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Rock the Bells tour)
08-02 Miami, FL - Bicentennial Park (Rock the Bells tour)
08-03 New York, NY - Jones Beach Theatre (Rock the Bells tour)
08-09 Devore, CA - Glen Helen Pavilion (Rock the Bells tour)
08-16 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells tour)
08-23 Englewood, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells tour)

Method Man:

07-25 Louisville, KY - Belvedere Hotel (Forecastle Festival)