Black Immigrant Daily News

Jamaican singer Shenseea and her label Interscope Records have reached a settlement in one of the two copyright infringement lawsuits filed against her last year, DancehallMag has exclusively confirmed.

Producer Anastas ‘Pupa Nas-T’ Hackett said he’s pleased to bring his lawsuit to an end one year after filing the matter in a New York District Court.  He had claimed that Shenseea and Interscope (a division of Universal Music Group) released Lick without his consent, even though it sampled elements from one of his Soca songs.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in a court order dismissing the lawsuit on Friday (March 31).  

Hackett, who had sought over USD $10 million in damages, profits, and legal fees, also told DancehallMag on Friday that he could not reveal the actual settlement figure because of a confidentiality agreement.

“This is just business, it’s over and everyone is agreeable and satisfied with the outcome,” the producer said.

“It’s been over a year, it’s been gruelling but I finally made it to the mountain top,” he added.

Hackett thanked his manager, attorney, and spiritual allies for the lawsuit’s favorable outcome.

“I didn’t do it alone,” he said. “My business manager Steven Thompson was with me every step of the way. Courtney, my first attorney, he was incredible, and all praises go to The Most High, mother and father God and my ancestors because in every war, it’s fisticuffs but there is a spiritual element involved, and you have to pay credence to that.”

The 59-year-old, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a Trinidadian father and American mother, added that he harbored no ill will towards the 26-year-old singer and wished her continued success.

“I never had anything against her. I have been a big fan from day one. It is one Caribbean music family, we don’t tear each other down, and this had nothing to do against her personally. She will be big, and I wish her continued success in her career,” he said. 

Shenseea’s camp and Interscope did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the settlement. 

Released on January 21, 2022, Lick featured rapper Megan Thee Stallion and later appeared on Shenseea’s debut album, Alpha. As a lead artist, it is currently her highest-charting song in the United States, after peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.

Produced by Canadian hitmarker Murda Beatz, the song sampled a 2002 remix of Denise ‘Sacey Wow’ Belfon’s Work by the production duo Masters At Work (‘Little’ Louie Vega and Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez). The duo had licensed the original song from Hackett, who produced and co-wrote Work with Harkness Taitt in Trinidad & Tobago in 1999. He owns both the original and the Masters At Work remix, as detailed by Beatport.

On Friday, Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil ordered the lawsuit “discontinued without costs to any party and without prejudice to restoring the action to this Court’s calendar if the parties are unable to memorialize their settlement in writing and as long as the application to restore the action is made by May 1, 2023.”

“If no such application is made by that date, today’s dismissal of the action is with prejudice,” the order added.

In reply to the lawsuit, Shenseea and Interscope’s lawyers, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, had argued that there was a “months-long, good faith negotiation” for the use of the producer’s song.  However, according to them, Hackett had refused to sign a written contract and, instead sought to renegotiate the contract after the song was released.

Court records show that Interscope had hired DMG Clearances, Inc in September 2021 to do the leg work of clearing the sample with Hackett.  According to an email sent to DMG later that month, the producer—through his music publisher ATAL Music Limited and their rep Alexandre Escolier—initially agreed that he would approve the sample if he were paid a $5,000 USD advance, 3% royalty on wholesale sales (PPD), and 15% royalty on Shenseea’s net streaming on the song.

However, DMG only sent the final written agreement to Escolier, for Nas-T’s signature, on February 2, 2022, 12 days after Lick was released on streaming platforms on January 21, 2022.  By then, Hackett had ‘fired’ Escolier from representing his music catalog after he learned of the song’s release from “colleagues who…had reached out to congratulate” him.

Now that the lawsuit has concluded, Hackett said that he will be turning his attention back toward music and getting “back to my home studio.”

“I’ve got some bombs, we’re gonna drop them, you know we still do what we do,” he said. 

He added that he felt great that the latest remix of Work, featuring Scottish DJ and electronic musician Kevin McKay and Denise Belfon, has been doing well on charts worldwide.  The song peaked at No. 11 on the Apple iTunes chart in December 2022. “Kevin McKay is a DJ based in Glasgow, his label is Glasgow Underground and the song has been doing great,” he said. 

Shenseea is still facing another copyright lawsuit in a California court.

In an October 2022 complaint, visual artist Stephanie Sarley accused the Blessed singer and her label of ripping off three of her ‘artistic’ Instagram videos depicting the sexualized handling of bisected fruit.  The three clips allegedly appeared in the original music video for Shenseea’s 2019 song Foreplay, which has since been removed from YouTube.

Shenseea and Interscope, who are represented by Ballard Spahr LLP, have claimed, among other things, that any infringement was “innocent” on their part, because the Foreplay video was uploaded to Shenseea’s YouTube account by a “third-party distributor” without their knowledge or involvement.

Sarley is demanding actual damages and profits from the three alleged infringements, or alternatively, $150,000 in statutory damages for each infringement.  But, Shenseea and Interscope contend that if Sarley is able to prove infringement, then statutory damages would be limited to “as little as $200” for each of the three videos. 

In a joint court filing on February 9, 2023, Sarley and Shenseea’s lawyers told Judge Fernando M. Olguin that they anticipated the trial lasting 2-3 days, with a proposed start date on April 9, 2024, and with a total of three witnesses for Sarley and five witnesses for Shenseea.

The singer signed to Interscope Records/Rich Immigrants in 2019, a joint venture spearheaded by Jamaican producer Rvssian.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Though he left Vybz Kartel’s Portmore/Gaza Empire more than a decade ago, dancehall singjay Blak Ryno isn’t opposed to working with him in the future.

On a recent episode of Dancehall Hot Seat, the ‘Real Stinga’ was asked about the possibility of collaborating if his former principal desired to, should he be released from prison. Kartel, whose given name is Adidja Palmer, is currently appealing a 2014 murder conviction before the Privy Council. 

“If ‘Teacha’ waan that, anything possible,” Ryno responded. “Why not?”

The entertainer rose to prominence in 2007 as part of the now-defunct Gaza enclave, standing out with a distinct singjay style and flair for versatile songwriting. In 2010, his exit from the group was heralded in the track Mi Lef, in which he explained some of his headstrong reasons for ‘cutting’ ties.

Despite contributing a myriad of hits to dancehall like Thug Anthem, Badmind, Dollar Coin,and Bike Back, the industry has arguably treated him like an unwanted stepchild since he left the camp. Ryno has often described his predicament as a case of blackballing, but believes his decision to move on from the clique was overblown. 

“Everybody nuh keep one job fi too long; some people do, some people don’t,” he said. “That was Gaza; it was, to me, a job. If you have a label and you seh you waan sign me, you a sign me fi work fi you – it’s a job. Sometimes the worker and the boss have fallout and a one a dem thing deh, and the people dem blow it out of proportion when it’s simply that.”

Curry-stained into his brand is the notion that he was disloyal to the Worl’ Boss, though it has never been substantiated. Ryno said he’s discouraged from explaining his side as he feels people will label him a liar anyway.  

“Mi a live wid a curse weh mi nuh do nothing…” he said.

“Up to now, dem people yah cya tell me weh mi do. Not even the man weh tell dem seh, ‘Yow, him sell we out’, not even you tell the people weh mi do…”

Despite the continued dark cloud over his career, Ryno said he will “always rate Kartel”, adding, “a Gaza mek me. Mi cya stop seh Gaza”. So loyal, is he, that he’s turned down opportunities to work with any nemesis of the Portmore Empire collective.

“You never see mi go do no song with no artist who we never link with before,” he said. “Mi still keep it dah way deh and it wasn’t no pride nothing. A just how mi grow, so, that is instilled in me.”

Now based in the United States, the singjay is gearing up to release new music, which he teased will bear Afrobeats flavour.

His last release was Ride, a collaboration with Chenphang that debuted three months ago. 

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Dancehall music producer and Reggae Sumfest Marketing Strategist Skatta Burrell is having a field day, this upon sharing a flyer announcing that Minister Marion Hall (formerly Lady Saw) has been booked for Concert Night II at the Reggae festival, in July.

“ My prayers have been answered. Unleashing the Powerhouse: Minister Marion Hall at Reggae Sumfest on July 22!” Skatta, a self-proclaimed atheist, wrote on his Instagram page on Saturday, where he shared a copy of the flyer, which features Hall in a monochromatic black outfit including a bustier with her bosom pronounced, and embellished with sheer lace fabric which partially shows off her abs.   

That image has also been featured on the cover art for Hall’s new Downsound Records-produced single, I’m Doing Better.

The announcement of Hall’s booking for the iconic Reggae festival was greeted with glee by Reggae singer Gramps Morgan, who is producing one of her upcoming albums.

“It has begun The Fire is Still burning we give thanks for this legend,” Gramps said in registering his satisfaction. 

Skatta seemingly had only two words for persons who sought to criticize Reggae Sumfest for using the sexy photo of Hall on the flyer.

“Shut up!” the Coolie Dance producer wrote in response to muffin_drop who had written: “Of all the pictures these people could use and they choose to use this to represent her really”. 

He also gave the same orders to gstormgmusic, who had said that Reggae Sumfest would be boring and that Hall was “not qualified to be on reggae shows”.

His response was the same for wealthy_yute101 who asked: “How can she preach the word of god and wear clothes like that? Can know say them tek Christianity fi joke thing eh nuh”.

 “@wealthy_yute101 shut up,” Skatta wrote to the delight of some of his followers.

Skatta’s response to comments made by crystal_armyqueen, who sought to ask whether he orchestrated the use of the sultry photo of Hall, because he was anti-Christianity, was less hostile.

“This is the only picture you can find with the minister?  Not because you don’t agree with Christianity doesn’t mean you can’t put some respect on the woman of God. I am sure she has nicer pics as Marion hall. Now the heat is on the woman from people who think they are Christians,” she had stated.

“@crystal_armyqueen she beautifully clothed and She looks Fabulous ,” Skatta replied.

Hall seems to have made an about-turn where Reggae Sumfest is concerned.

In May last year, weeks before the staging of Reggae Sumfest, the St. Mary native, had declared that she would only perform at Reggae Sumfest if there is a Gospel Night.

Her comments had come in response to Skatta’s statements at the festival’s launch that he was at one point attempting to get her to perform at that year’s staging of the festival and “was still open to doing so”.

Hall, who had appeared amused, had indicated that while she was not averse to performing at the Reggae festival, at the same time pointed out that she was quite cognizant that Skatta was trying to “draw her out”.

The Room in my House artist had said that Reggae Sumfest CEO, Joe Bogdanovich, had had discussions with her manager regarding the addition of a gospel night on which she would perform.

“Downsound been talking to my manager, about coming on the gospel night.   But how dare you call mi out fi Dancehall night?” she had asked of Skatta.

During the launch of Reggae Sumfest 2022, Skatta had said that he had ceased making attempts to woo Hall to perform at the festival,  after coming to the conclusion that she needed time to recalibrate, following her imbroglio with some of her female musical compatriots.

Skatta, who made his comments during an interview with Billboard’s Pat Meschino, had also said that there was still time yet to court Hall and add her to the line-up, since the concert nights were two months away.

Prior to that, Skatta had irked Hall’s Christian fans, after he posted a snippet of Lady Saw’s legendary last-ever performance at Reggae Sumfest in 2015, on Instagram, and implored her come to the festival and “minister to the audience.”

Declaring that she was missed by Sumfest, Skatta had also said that whether or not Hall was doing secular or gospel Dancehall, the genre was where the 52-year-old Grammy Award winner belongs and that she ought not to be pigeonholed into performing or writing for Christians only.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

The Voice Newspaper has reported that the UK Home Office has launched what has been described as the “biggest attack on a Black music genre by British authorities, since Dancehall in the 1990s”.

According to the publication, Afrobeats artists are now the subject of scrutiny, as the Home Office has denied dozens of the genre’s stars’ visas to perform in Britain.

The Voice report, which was published today, said that the publication had conducted an investigation which found that the department had stopped at least 20 singers from entering the UK to perform at Afrobeats festivals.

It also said that both singers and producers have warned that “the hostile environment against the world’s fastest-growing music genre risks top names boycotting the UK.”

The reference to Dancehall which was drawn by The Voice, though, appears to be to the 2000s and 2010s.   In 2012, for example, Sizzla Kalonji was banned from performing in the UK, while Beenie Man, Buju Banton and Elephant Man were placed under investigation for lyrics that the authorities thought were inciting violence against homosexuals. 

In April 2011, several of Vybz Kartel’s shows which had been set for the UK, were cancelled due to his work visa application being denied by the UK High Commission in Kingston, just days before his schedule European tour. This denial had resulted in a several promoters cancelling shows booked in Germany, Italy, England and France.

In November 2004, the Manchester Evening News had also reported that Government sources had denied Sizzla Kalonji a visa to enter Britain, as his lyrics “are claimed to incite attacks on gays”.  

According to the publication, all five of the shows for which the Dry Cry artist was booked “were scrapped after gay rights group Outrage! launched a massive campaign” to have him barred.

Back in July 2006, concerts for which Buju Banton and Beenie Man were booked were canceled in Brighton and Bournemouth after complaints from gay rights groups and a warning from the local authority that it risked losing its license because the performance could endanger public safety.

Unlike the Dancehall artists however, The Voice notes that in the case of Afrobeats, “West African artists are treated with more suspicion despite being part of a multi-million dollar industry, and when visas are granted to stars, their dancers have been turned down.”

“Afrobeat stars fume that Britain is the hardest embassy in the world to deal with, and they are routinely given short stays of just two weeks which prevents them from making the most of their visit,” the publication said.

In August last year, the Home Office was also rebuked for what some Britons described as hostility to iconic Roots Reggae band Black Uhuru after the group was forced to cancel their UK tour after the Home Office issued visas with unreasonable time limits.

The Jamaican band, which won the first-ever Grammy Award for a Reggae Recording back in 1985, had been booked to perform at the Jazz Café in Camden, London, on Saturday, September 3, as part of their 50th-anniversary tour.   However, the promoters had cancelled the event as the UK Home Office had failed to give group adequate time in the country to allow them to meet the September show date.

Dancehall music has had many struggles in the UK, even in recent times.  In March 2016, the BBC reported that a nightclub owner in London had disclosed that the Metropolitan Police had told him to stop playing Dancehall music, as Jamaican music is “unacceptable.”

According to the BBC, the club owner had said that he was under so much pressure that he had started making disc jockeys sign contracts not to play the genre, as the police want the club’s license reviewed, saying it’s “associated with crime and disorder.”

One Afrobeats artist’s management team with whom The Voice spoke, had reported that all requisite documents were presented, but “that Home Office officials turned the application down after questioning why his UK-based sponsor had so much money when they were so young.”

The report also said that numerous artists from the African continent have had their visa applications denied, but are unwilling to speak publicly about it, due to a “stigma attached to visa refusals from Britain, which many believe will tarnish their brand and reputation.” 

The Voice also said that musicians from Ghana who wish to travel to Britain for festivals and concerts have described the British Embassy as “the most difficult embassy to work with.”

Ghananian Reggae musician and three-time Grammy nominee Rocky Dawuni also gave his views on the matter, noting that once Afrobeats musicians can prove they are “credible” and “established in their own country,” regulations should be eased and assistance fast-tracked for the artists.  

According to The Voice, Dawuni also said he was unsure whether or not there is a “bigger plan to suppress” African music and “keep it at bay” and that it might be due to a “misplaced policy.” 

“It is diminishing the music at a time when African music is on the rise, African music is breaking new boundaries and African music is connecting with new audiences,” he said.

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