He's got 99 samples and jazz is one

Rap impresario Jay-Z has agreed to pay half of the royalties of one of his songs from 2013 to a veteran electronic jazz musician Bruno Spoerri. 

Jay-Z’s song ‘Versus’ uses a sample of an instrumental piece called ‘On The Way’ from Spoerri’s score of Kurt Aeschbacher's 1978 film ‘Lilith’. The sample was used without the correct attribution or any royalty. After an protracted 18 month legal case Jay-Z has agreed to pay the royalties to the Swiss pianist and saxophonist. 

Spoerri said, “In a way I'm flattered that a relatively young rapper takes a sample from an old man, a sample that is about 35 years old. On the other hand I'm furious because it would have been so simple to clear the sample. All it would have needed was a call or an email to the company and I think it would have been relatively cheap.”

Bruno Spoerri has a career spanning over 5 decades and worked with jazz greats like saxophonist Lee Konitz. He has directed the Zurich jazz festival as well as esteemed Swiss music schools in Zurich and Lucerne.