Author Claims Rapper Stole ''Before I Self Destruct''
1:00PM ET November 9th, 2010
Contributor : Hip Hop Blog Staff
A Rocky Williform Company

Rapper 50 Cent is being sued by a man who claims 50 stole the idea for his movie and album Before I Self Destruct from a book titled The Preacher’s Son-But The Streets Turned Me Into A Gangster. The book's author, Shadrach Winstead, filed suit in the United States District Court of New Jersey.

"The defendant infringed the copyright by publishing and selling an audio visual work (a movie released in DVD format), coupled with an audio recording (“recordings”)," Winstead's complaint reads. "In many cases, the content and word choice used by Defendants in their work is identical to that used in Plaintiff’s book."

The author is seeking undisclosed damages, but he seeks all profits and interests gained from the sale of the film and the album.