On "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," from the album Thriller released November 30, 1982, Michael Jackson reused a chant almost identical to a Cameroonian hit released ten years earlier — without authorization.
That chant, "mama-ko, mama-sa, maka-makossa," comes from "Soul Makossa," the 1972 track by saxophonist Manu Dibango, a blend of makossa and funk sung in Duala.
Dibango sued: the case was settled amicably, with Jackson acknowledging the borrowing. In 2009, the Cameroonian tried again in court, this time targeting both Jackson and Rihanna — whose "Don't Stop the Music" (2007) reused the same chant via a Jackson sample. His claim was dismissed: a Paris court ruled he had already accepted being credited on Rihanna's releases, effectively waiving further claims.
Sources: WhoSampled, CBC News.
