After initially being held out of the “Blurred Lines” lawsuit against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, the Gaye Family reportedly asked for T.I. to be held accountable too, since T.I.’s guest verse makes him one of the song’s writers. The jury ruled to award the Gaye Family $7.4 million in damages and has also asked for an injunction pertaining to further distribution of “Blurred Lines.”
“I have nothing but admiration and respect for the family and the estate of Marvin Gaye,” T.I. told TMZ when asked about potentially being included in the verdict. “I have nothing but extreme support for my partner Pharrell. Whatever happens, the universe will deal with it, man. I know that I’m a writer. I’m a creator. I don’t steal from anybody creatively when I make my music.”
T.I. previously sampled Marvin Gaye on the 2012 track, “The Introduction.” Unlike the “Blurred Lines” case, which argued if Pharrell and Robin Thicke were inspired by the Marvin Gaye single “Got To Give It Up,” versus their interpolation of the single, T.I.’s track featured a credited sample. Marvin Gaye was listed as a co-writer, and the album’s liner notes indicated “The Introduction” contained a portion of Gaye’s single “Trouble Man.”