Copyright Lawsuit Reveals Snoop Dogg’s Music Activities.
Snoop Dogg is currently facing a copyright lawsuit, accused of not paying a studio musician after using two of his soundtracks. The lawsuit also references a previous legal battle between Tracy Chapman and Nicki Minaj.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court by Trevor Lawrence Jr., a prominent producer and drummer. Lawrence has been featured on songs by Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey, and many other top artists.
Wiz Khalifa once had a problem when he was arrested for smoking during a performance in Romania.Lawrence said he created the two soundtracks “on request” and allowed Snoop Dogg (real name Calvin Broadus) to “test” the tracks in the studio, but he explicitly asked to be paid a fee. upfront fees and royalties if the songs are released commercially.
According to Lawrence, Snoop Dogg used these backing tracks in the songs “Pop Pop” and “Get This Dick” on the 2022 album “BODR”. However, no licensing agreement was signed and Lawrence Haven’t received any payments yet.
“To date, defendants have refused to properly license Lawrence’s tracks or compensate Lawrence for their use in Broadus’s tracks,” Lawrence’s attorneys wrote in the complaint, in that also named Death Row Records as a defendant.
The lawsuit reveals how soundtracks are used in the music industry. Lawrence often created these tracks and then sold them to famous artists, with the understanding that a suitable license would be negotiated before a song was released commercially.
The lawsuit also recalls an earlier legal battle, when singer Tracy Chapman accused rapper Nicki Minaj of illegally sampling one of her songs. In that case, a federal judge ruled that artists could “test out” material in the studio without violating copyright, but would if the song were released. Minaj ultimately paid $450,000 to settle the lawsuit.
In Lawrence’s case, he said that in 2020, he gave Snoop Dogg access to two soundtracks for use in the studio. Two years later, when a representative for Snoop Dogg said the star wanted to use the tracks, Lawrence spelled out his licensing request: a $10,000 advance and 50 percent interest. “Snoopy’s representatives have confirmed that these terms are acceptable,” the lawsuit states.
However, when “Pop Pop” and “Get This Dick” were released a month later, Lawrence said he never received an official licensing offer and had not been paid or credited for the past two years. . He also claimed the songs were not only released on albums but also as NFTs, generating “tens of millions of dollars.”
“At no time did the defendants… inform Lawrence of their intention to exploit his music in connection with the sale of NFTs, nor did Lawrence authorize the exploitation of his work in this manner,” Lawrence’s lawyer wrote.
Snoop Dogg’s representative has not yet responded to this lawsuit.
