After a decade of being one of the greatest songs about the state of a young man’s mind, the authors of the song which Timbaland sampled are suing.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fahmy’s lawsuit contends that only the full, unaltered version of “Khosara, Khosara” could be legally licensed; since the use of the song in “Big Pimpin'” is an altered sampled loop, under Egyptian “moral rights” law, Jay-Z would have had to acquire permission from all four of Hamdy’s children, who the song’s rights were passed down to when Hamdy passed away in 1993.

In addition to Jay, the lawsuit also names EMI Publishing, MTV Networks, UMG Recordings, Warner Music, Paramount Pictures, and others defendants. Below, watch the video for “Big Pimpin'”, along with a video of Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez performing “Khosara”.

Take a listen to the original:
[flashvideo file=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNZ7RZd0nD0 /]