Leroy Phillip Mitchell, also known by his stage name Prince Phillip Mitchel, is a 70’s R&B singer. Recently, he filed a federal lawsuit against Dr. Dre and Universal Pictures accusing the famed producer of stealing his hit song and using it without permission in the upcoming N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Mitchell is demanding over $6,000,000 due to the song being featured in the upcoming movie. According to The Jasmine Brand, Mitchell explained that he is the owner of the copyright for the 1977 song, “Star in the Ghetto.” He said that Dr. Dre and MC Ren authored a song entitled, “If It Ain’t Ruff” back in 1989 and the song is to be featured in the upcoming film. However, according to his statement, the song features a sample of his 70’s hit.
He claimed that no one contacted him to ask for permission to use his music. So he demands the money. He even made a rescue and stated that Dr. Dre’s song has sold over 3.5 million copies and resulted in 2 million albums sold. He said he never knew about the infringement over the years because he was never listed as a co-author or given credit to Dre’s song. Stay tuned for more updates as the story develops.
