Jury paves the way for 2 Live Crew to retake control of records that changed hip-hop
A decision by a Florida jury is paving the way for the surviving members of 2 Live Crew to retake control of much of their iconic discography, following a yearslong copyright dispute
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Miami's 2 Live Crew helped redraw the legal landscape around what hip-hop could be, pushing the boundaries of free speech and taste with their provocative and sexually explicit recordings that led to landmark court decisions protecting the rights of artists.
But for decades the hip-hop legends haven’t had legal control over their iconic discography, after giving up their rights to the records in bankruptcy proceedings that followed their legal fights in the 1990s.
Now a jury verdict is paving the way for surviving members of the group, and heirs of the two who have since died, to retake five of their early albums following a yearslong copyright dispute with a record company. The company is in the process of appealing.
“We won,” 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell, also known as Uncle Luke, said in a video posted to social media after Wednesday's decision. “All the albums! We got them all back!”
