The recent settlement news between Mac Miller and hip hop legend Lord Finesse may make rappers rethink they way they create mixtapes.

 

Several media sources reports that the copy infringement lawsuit against rapper Mac Miller has been settled. The $10 million lawsuit was brought on by Lord Finesse, a prominent figure in the early years of hip hop. Lord Finesse suit claimed that Mac’s  “Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza”, which appeared on his 2010 K.I.D.S. (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Sh*t), was total remake of Finesse’s 1995 single “Hip 2 Da Game”.

 

“This is a case about a teenage rapper — Mac Miller — copying the music from a song written, produced and performed by Lord Finesse, a hip hop legend, changing the title and then distributing it under his own name in order to launch his music career,” the complaint stated. Rostrum defended their artist, claiming that the label never profited from Finesse’s music because “Kool Aid” appeared on a free mixtape.

 

“Mac never pretended that the ‘Hip 2 Da Game’ beat was his, despite what’s being said in the suit,” the label said in a statement. “Lord Finesse was given credit on both the video and the mixtape from the very beginning. We’ve never distributed ‘Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza’ for sale on iTunes and have consistently policed digital retailers and other sites to make sure that no pirates were ever illegally selling the song.”

 

The lawsuit against Mac Miller and his label Rostrum Records ended with a settlement. Both parties reached an agreement in early December, to which the payout is undisclosed. Only the presiding judge knows what that amount was.  Although Mac Miller’s success has grown since the release ofthe  K.I.D.S. mixtape, the label Rostrum insists that “Lord Finesse has known about ‘Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza’ for a long time and never objected to the use … For some reason, he has very recently changed his mind.”

 

 

This situation appears should be a wake up call for artists, DJs, and labels who put out mixtapes.  Historically, mixtapes are used to promote music that’s intended to keep the fans satisfied until legitimate albums are released. Music contained on mixtapes are usually remixes of past and present songs, that belong to other artists or producers.  Mixtapes are suppose to be non-revenue generating products.  Unfortunately, even if mixtapes are presented as a free album, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the artist can’t generate money through club performances/tours.

 

Maybe this is what Lord Finesse took into account. As a producer, it is important to copyright protect your musical compositions. Apparently, Mac Miller’s use of “Hip 2 Da Game” didn’t sit well with him and he sought out judicial help to see if his music was indeed infringed upon.  You can’t really blame him for handling his business.

 

 

Source: MTV

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