Neilson Barnard/Getty ImagesNow here's something you don't see every day.
Jay-Z was sued in federal court last week by a guy who claims his computer was "compromised" in 2009 and Jay-Z somehow ended up plagiarizing his unpublished writing in the bestselling 2010 memoir Decoded.
The book "contains various expressions/colors/phrases which correlates to my work," plaintiff Patrick White alleges in the complaint.
Make that his handwritten complaint. And White, who apparently is no fan of typesetting, has been busy...
Also on June 13, White sued Nike (you know, the Oregon-based sportswear and equipment behemoth) for invasion of privacy and intellectual property, claiming the idea for the "Kobe System" marketing campaign for the Kobe VII System Supreme men's basketball shoe came from him—and was apparently stolen during the same alleged hacking caper of 2009.
White offers no details in either lawsuit as to how his computer may have been "compromised." He said he filed a never-answered consumer complaint with the city's consumer affairs department (he doesn't specify which city), and also attempted to contact Jay-Z's coauthor, hip-hop journalist dream hampton.
He wants relief and damages from Nike and Jay-Z, plus a cut of Hova's international and domestic royalties, per the lawsuits. White's cell phone number appeared to be disconnected when attempts were made to contact him.
A rep for Jay-Z has not yet responded to requests for comment, but dream hampton tweeted a few tips for White—tweets that were later deleted.
"Surprised by @TheGrio & @theloop21for running a story abt a handwritten lawsuit that alleges me & Jay-Z hacked his computer & stole Decoded," she wrote Tuesday night.
"I expect Global Grind and allhiphop to 'report' that...but these other sites that want to be taken seriously are hilar for that. For the record, if you're suing 'Jay-Z' in court you should probably (hand)write in Shawn Carter," hampton continued, noting the rapper's real name.
She concluded, "...that is all."
—Reporting by Claudia Rosenbaum