Snoop Dogg is facing a copyright lawsuit that claims the legendary rapper refused to pay a veteran music studio after he used two of his backing tracks — a case that cites an earlier battle between Tracy Chapman and Nicki Minaj.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Los Angeles, was filed by Trevor Lawrence Jr.noted producer and drummer who has been credited on songs by Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey and other top artists.
Lawrence claims he created two backing tracks “on spec” and allowed Snoop (Calvin Broadus) to “experiment with the tracks in the studio”, but made it clear that he would need to be paid an advance and an ongoing fee if the final songs were released commercially.
Snoop reportedly did just that, using Lawrence's material on his songs “Pop Pop” and “Get This Dick” from his 2022 album BODR. But Lawrence's lawyers say no licensing agreement was ever made and no money has ever been sent to their client.
“To date, the defendants have refused to properly license the Lawrence tracks or compensate Lawrence for their use in the Broadus tracks,” Lawrence's lawyers write in the suit, which also names Death Row Records as a defendant.
The lawsuit offers a look at industry practices surrounding the use of backing tracks — pre-recorded instrumental elements that artists can add to a finished product. Lawrence says he often creates such pieces “on his own initiative” and then shops them to prominent artists. But he says he does so with the understanding that “a proper license should and must be negotiated” before releasing a song commercially.
Notably, the new case alludes to a high-profile lawsuit in which singer Tracy Chapman accused rapper Nicki Minaj of illegally sampling one of her songs. In that case, a federal judge ruled in 2020 that artists like Minaj are free to “experiment” with material in the studio to help promote “innovation in the music industry,” but infringe copyright if a song is released. Minaj eventually paid $450,000 to settle the case.
In this case, Lawrence says that in 2020 he offered Snoop access to two backing tracks for use in the studio. Two years later, when a rep for Snoop said the star wanted to use the tracks, Lawrence said he made the licensing requirements clear: a $10,000 advance for the producer and a 50 percent interest in the underlying musical composition. “THE [Snoop] representative confirmed that these anticipated terms were acceptable,” the lawsuit states.
But when “Pop Pop” and “Get This Dick” were released a month later, Lawrence says he had never received an official licensing offer – and had never been paid or credited in the two years since the songs were released. He also claims that the songs weren't just released on the album, but as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that brought in “tens of millions of dollars”.
“At no time did defendants communicate to Lawrence any intention to exploit Lawrence's pieces in connection with a bundle offer such as e.g. [the NFT sale]nor did Lawrence authorize any such exploitation of his work, which was never within his prior contemplation,” his lawyers write.
A representative for Snoop Dogg did not immediately return a request for comment.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/snoop-dogg-copyright-lawsuit-uncleared-backing-tracks-bodr-album/
