An Australian woman selling a book that uses illustrations of hip-hop stars to help children learn the alphabet might not have 99 problems, but she’s got at least one big one: She’s being sued by Jay-Z for trademark infringement.
The hip-hop star has filed suit against Jessica Chiha and her company, the Little Homie, over a book the business sells called A B to Jay-Z, the New York Times reports. He claims that the book is “a deliberate and knowing attempt to trade off [his] reputation and good will.”
The back of the book features the line “If you’re having alphabet problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but my ABC’s ain’t one,” a take-off of the refrain of one of Jay-Z’s most famous songs, “99 Problems.”
Jay-Z is one of several rappers to appear in the book, along with Biggie Smalls and Eminem. It also features Snoop Dogg, who the book describes as “laid back, sipping on orange juice.” (That would be a reference to Snoop’s “Gin and Juice,” with the titular spirit removed.)
A B to Jay-Z has proved controversial in America, with many accusing Chiha of cultural appropriation. In an article for the Root, journalist Michael Harriot criticized the book, writing, “Either they don’t know what culture is or they don’t have one of their own, so—as they did the land of the First Nation and the bodies of Africans—they just took it … Maybe we should stop allowing them to even touch our culture if they aren’t willing to respect it.”
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Chiha intends to fight the lawsuit. “We maintain we have done nothing wrong and intend to give it everything we’ve got for common sense and the common good to prevail, to the extent we can fight the fight,” she said.
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
