Pennsylvania rocker Donnie Iris, 2 others suing Sony over Jaggerz song sampled in rap tune

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A western Pennsylvania rocker whose biggest hit is called “The Rapper” is suing Sony for allegedly using a sample of another song he helped write on the rap tune “Letter to the King” without paying royalties.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing in New York didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment Friday on the copyright infringement suit filed by Dominic Ierace — known by his stage name of Donnie Iris — and two others who wrote The Jaggerz song, “Memoirs of the Traveler.”

Iris, from the Pittsburgh area, wrote “The Rapper,” which was the group’s biggest hit in 1970, and appeared on the same album as “Memoirs of the Traveler. “

The lawsuit says some musical samples from the lesser-known song have been used on the “Letter to the King” track recorded by the rapper known as The Game.