If you are a music producer you should strongly consider never using a sample in your tracks. Sometimes clearing a sample is easy and then other times it is a huge mess. The latter is what is going on between the WWE and people representing rap group M.O.P over a sample used in John Cena’s entrance theme, “The Time is Now”.

The case is pretty crazy with no less than 10 different companies or people somehow involved. The lawsuit by publishing administration firm The Royalty Network, Inc. cites John Cena, the WWE, Sony BMG Music, Stephanie Music Publishing and Cherry Lane for the unauthorized use of a sample from M.O.P.’s hit song “Ante Up”.

The song in question is performed by Cena himself (who has dabbled in hip hop music in the past) and first appeared on his certified gold album You Can’t See Me back in 2005 and quickly became the entrance theme he used when coming to the ring at live wrestling events.

The lawsuit isn’t even being filed on behalf of M.O.P., it’s being filed on behalf of their manager Elliot Blaze who who somehow has a 50% stake in the 2/3 ownership of the song that M.O.P. has (confusing right?). Elliot and his goon squad are asking for “compensatory damages equal to $750 to $30,000 for each time the song has been used, for a grand total of no less than $150,000″. Seeing as how John Cena’s theme is heard every time the guy wrestles (at least four times a week), on video games, TV commercial and countless other WWE related products that could equal some serious coin.

So how has WWE been using since 2005 in such a public way without repercussions? They are saying someone who had no right to the song wrongly cleared the sample for them.

I had both tracks in my music library and took the time listen for myself to see what exactly was the sample in question and from what I heard the only thing that seems to be taken from “Ante Up” is a line where Billy Danzenie says, “Brrrrrrr……Abado!” which can be heard in the opening seconds of Cena’s song.

M.O.P. hasn’t commented on this themselves as they probably don’t know what the hell is going on. I mean seriously have you seen M.O.P.’s Lil Fame? Guy doesn’t look like the type that remembers how to tie his own shoe let alone sort through legal dealings.