Eminem and his record label have been sued in federal court by a French composer who claims the Grammy-winning rapper stole one of his tunes. The copyright infringement lawsuit, filed yesterday (March 28) in New York, accuses Eminem and Interscope Records of lifting parts of "Pulsion" -- a jazz fusion work by Jacques Loussier -- for the caustic rap song "Kill You." The suit, which names Loussier as plaintiff, seeks unspecified damages.

"Kill You" appears on Eminem's 2000 album "The Marshall Mathers LP," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 8.7 million copies in the U.S. to date, according to SoundScan. The song talks about killing women, with the lyrics, "I'm ready to play, I got the machete from O.J."

Loussier, 67, of Paris, gained fame by fusing classical music and jazz with his Play Bach Trio. He has released more than a dozen albums, selling 6 million copies worldwide, the suit said.

A call seeking comment from Interscope Records was not immediately returned. As previously reported, Eminem's next album, "The Eminem Show," is due sometime this spring. His film debut, "8 Mile," hits U.S. theaters July 15.


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