Tuf America, the label record currently repping DC-area go-go band Trouble Funk, has filed a lawsuit against the Beastie Boys alleging illegal sampling of their client's music by the hip-hop pioneers.

The suit was filed one day before the passing of Beastie Boys founding member Adam "MCA" Yauch.

According to court documents, Tuf America claims two of Trouble Funk's tracks — "Drop The Bomb" and "Say What?" — were sampled by the Beasties on four songs: "Hold It, Now Hit It" and "The New Style" from Licensed to Ill, and "Shadrach" and "Car Thief" from Paul's Boutique.

The docs go on to say that the usage of Trouble Funk's music was only revealed after "a thorough sound analysis," as the samples were effectively unrecognizable to the naked ear.

Responding to criticism concerning the timing of the lawsuit, an attorney for Tuf America said she was "sorry to hear of Adam Yauch's untimely passing," but that "the unfortunate timing of the filing of Tuf America's complaint had nothing to do with his health." She offered condolences on behalf of herself and the label "to Adam's family, friends and fans."

Paul's Boutique is said to contain some 300 samples, most of which were obtained legally. Commenting on the album's enduring uniqueness, Slate's Matthew Yglesias pointed out that "perhaps the main reason-and certainly the saddest reason-that it still sounds distinctive is that a rapidly shifting legal and economic landscape made it essentially impossible to repeat."

[photo via AP]