2 Live Crew has finally seen victory following a yearslong copyright lawsuit over their albums.
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, a jury ruled in favor of the famed rap group, granting them back copyright control of five of their early albums after a yearslong legal battle with a record company, the Associated Press reports.
“We won,” 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell, also known as Uncle Luke, said in an Instagram video. “All the albums! We got them all back!”
“The verdict is in members of the 2 Live Crew. We have just got our catalog back to its rightful owners. [We have an amazing God,]” Luke captioned the post.
The lawsuit was initiated by Lil’ Joe Records, which acquired the rights to 2 Live Crew’s albums after the group’s record label went bankrupt in 1995. In 2020, the members of 2 Live Crew and their heirs informed Lil’ Joe that they were terminating its copyrights and reclaiming ownership of the albums. Lil’ Joe responded by filing a lawsuit, claiming it retained the rights under the terms of the bankruptcy agreement.
However, a federal jury in Florida has ruled in favor of 2 Live Crew and heirs of the two deceased members, Fresh Kid, who died in 2017, and Brother Marquis, who died in June.
“Our team is proud to have been part of this historic trial,” attorney Scott Burroughs said in a statement. “Our overwhelming and total victory at trial will hopefully serve as a beacon to encourage other artists to brave the legal process to recover their copyrights.”
2 Live Crew dominated the rap scene in the late 80s and early 90s with its provocative, X-rated singles, which led to arrests and radio bans. In 1992, a federal appeals court overturned a previous ruling that had deemed the group’s album obscene.
The trio’s provocative and sexually explicit recordings reshaped the legal boundaries of hip-hop, leading to landmark court rulings that upheld artists’ rights to free expression. Among their more popular singles include “Me So Horny,” “We Want Some Pu–y,” and “Throw That D.”
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