Jay-Z Sues Australian Children's Book Publisher - Noise11.com
Jay Z - Photo By Ros O'Gorman

Jay Z - Photo By Ros O'Gorman

Jay-Z Sues Australian Children’s Book Publisher

by Tim Cashmere on November 27, 2019

in News

Hip hop superstar Jay-Z is suing an Australian author and publisher Jessica Chiha for her children’s book ‘AB to Jay-Z’.

The book features the line “If you’re having alphabet problems I feel bad for you son, I’ve got 99 problems but my ABCs ain’t one” – a reference to Jay-Z’s 2004 single ’99 Problems’. In the suit, Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) is alleging the publisher “deliberately and knowingly” used his likeness in a “flagrant and glaring way”.

Carter’s legal team is still calculating damages, and at the time of publication, the defendants have not yet filed a defence.

The Little Homie published the book after raising $8,000 in Kickstarter and according to the lawsuit they were asked to halt publication in March 2018.

Other hip-hop-inspired books they publish include ‘123 With The Notorious B.I.G.’ and ‘First 50 Words With 50 Cent’.

They have come under fire in the past, with a number of people of colour labeling the publisher racist and accusing them of making a profit from a culture they have no affiliation with. Photos are circulating of the author’s husband Danny Chiha in blackface and The Little Homie had published (now deleted) memes dropping the N-word and other AAVE terms.

One scathing Twitter thread started by @sweetfacedinero from 2017 offers some insight as to why someone like Jay-Z might want to flex his legal muscle a small Australian publisher.

Noise11 on Instagram
You’ll discover music news first following Noise11 on Twitter
Comment on the news of the day, join Noise11 on Facebook
Noise11.com

Related Posts

Crowded House perform at Rod Laver Arena 10 December 2024 photo by Winston Robinson
More Crowded House Red Hot Summer Shows Sellout

The Crowded House Red Hot Summer shows are doing fast work around Australia will four shows on the tour now sold out.

13 hours ago
Boom Crash Opera
Boom Crash Opera Reveals Dates for Hands Up In the Air – The Singles Tour

Boom Crash Opera will spend October to Christmas touring Australia on the Hands Up In the Air – The Singles Tour.

16 hours ago
Cold Chisel The Big Five O Live
Cold Chisel To Release Live DVD/Blu-Ray From Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Cold Chisel’s ‘The Big Five-O Live’ show, recently broadcast of television, will be available on CD, vinyl, DVD and Blu-Ray in August.

23 hours ago
Phil Manning of Chain
Phil Manning and Warren Morgan Team Up For Exclusive Melbourne Show

Phil Manning of Chain and Warren Morgan of The Aztecs and also Chain will get together in Melbourne this Saturday night for a one-off performance.

1 day ago
John Farnham The Age Music Victoria 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame Concert inducts Victorian music legends at the Palais in St Kilda on Friday 20 November 2015. photo by Ros O'Gorman
John Farnham Becomes A Grandfather

John Farnham is a grandfather. Jett James Farnham was born in Melbourne on June 18, 2025. The family has just now announced the news.

2 days ago
Samara Joy
Melbourne International Jazz Festival Reveals Six More Acts for 2025

The Melbourne International Jazz Festival has added six more events including multi-Grammy Award winner Samara Joy making her first Australian appearance.

2 days ago
Robert De Niro meets The Wiggles from The Wiggles Facebook page
Robert de Niro Joins The Wiggles In New York

The Wiggles has a special guest at their New York show this week. Hollywood legend Robert De Niro took his two year old daughter Gia to the show. Gia is De Niro’s seventh child. De Niro was 79 when she was born to mother Tiffany Chen.

3 days ago