NEW YORK — A copyright lawsuit was filed Wednesday (October 31) in Manhattan's Southern District Court against rapper Jay-Z and his various label affiliations by a woman claiming she wasn't paid for her contribution to Jigga's hit single "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)."

Demme Ulloa asserts that it's her singing "H to the Izzo/ V to the Izzay," the melodic hook used in the chorus of the track, though she never signed a contract and thus far hasn't seen a penny for her efforts, according to her lawyer John Bostany. She's seeking a permanent injunction to stop further sales of the song and damages relating to record sales to be determined by a judge.

Ulloa is also suing because she's not credited in the liner notes of The Blueprint, the album on which the single appears, and isn't featured in the video. Bostany said his client tried to resolve the dispute before filing suit, but a settlement couldn't be reached.

The copyright infringement action names Jay-Z (real name: Shawn Carter), the Island Def Jam Music Group, Universal Music and Roc-A-Fella Records, the label Jay founded with Damon Dash in 1996. Spokespeople for Island Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella Records didn't return calls by press time.

Judge Barbara Jones scheduled a hearing for November 8, when she'll decide whether to grant the plaintiff's request to pull the CD single and The Blueprint from stores until the dispute is resolved.

The Blueprint will be the #11 album on next week's Billboard 200 albums chart. It has sold upwards of 1.3 million copies, according to SoundScan.

For a full-length Jay-Z interview, check out [article id="1448591"]"Jay-Z: Blueprint For Success."[/article]

[This story was updated on 11/01/01 at 5:11 P.M.]