Thief.i.am? During a phone interview with KISS FM on Tuesday, Apr. 23, Will.i.am admitted to ripping off Arty & Mat Zo's 2011 song "Rebound" for his new song with Chris Brown, "Let's Go," but it was a misunderstanding.
"Arty is a dope producer so I wrote this song to 'Rebound' this last year," the Black Eyed Peas member, 38, explained on the radio show (via MSN). "I got in touch with Arty and showed it to him, did a different version to it because I asked him [to] make it newer, because I don't just want to take your song and rap over it.' But in a year's time, time's gone by [and] we preferred writing over and using the [original] 'Rebound.' Something happened and the clearance . . . hopefully we resolved the issue."
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Arty previously accused will.i.am of copyright infringement on Twitter. "They never cleared rights through Anjunabeats, who's only one label, who owns the rights for 'Rebound,'" he tweeted April 16.
Mat Zo also posted on his Facebook the same day, and scolded his fans for being "abusive" with their comments. "I really and truly appreciate all the support you are giving me and Arty in response to Will.i.am's copyright infringement," he wrote. "However, this doesn't excuse the horrific abuse you're sending the way of Will.i.am and Chris Brown, and it especially doesn't excuse being racist. Thank you."
Will.i.am's "Let's Go" track is off his fourth studio album, #willpower, which was released today.
