Kanye Sues DJ

Kanye West‘s battle with Chicago DJ Eric “E-Smoove” Miller over 10 unreleased songs the hip-hop star recorded when he was a teenager has moved to federal court.

West’s attorneys filed a 20-page lawsuit August 29th accusing Miller of improperly trying to distribute some of the master recordings earlier this year without the artist’s authorization.

The Grammy-winning performer is seeking no less than $1.3 million. The suit also demands that the house music afficionado stop using West’s name or voice in connection with the master recordings.

Miller, who owns Focus Music Group, helped record tracks including “Stop Frontin'” and “Ho!” before West became a household name in hip-hop.

Court papers say Miller approached Nashville-based John Galt Entertainment in February with a pitch for North American distribution of the unauthorized tracks for $450,000. The pitch was accompanied by a document labeled “Focus Music Group — Artist Recording Agreement,” which appeared to be signed by West and Miller in 1995, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Galt Entertainment officials reportedly were suspicious of the deal and checked with West’s representatives. When contacted, Miller allegedly responded via e-mail that he had used a “dummy”contract just to get the record label’s attention, the paper said.

West’s legal team said the dispute is especially damaging since it made headlines as the star released his new album, Late Registration, August 30th.