Lil Wayne is arguably hip-hop's most successful superstar. He
may very well be hip-hop's most sued superstar as well. Lil Wayne (born Dwayne
Carter) thought he would come out the victor in his lawsuit against Quincy Jones' son for
allegedly using unauthorized music for his 2009 documentary of Lil Wayne.
Instead Jones won his countersuit against Wayne and
was awarded $2.2 million by a judge.
The issue all started in 2009 when Wayne was in the process of
recording his critically acclaimed album The Carter 3. Jones’ company
QDIII Productions was used by Wayne to film a day-to-day documentary based on
him titled The Carter. After filming was finished, Wayne claims
that he was portrayed scandalous in the film and did not want to move forward
with the release of the film. Wayne claims he did not have any say so in how
the documentary would portray him in the documentary, which wasn’t the original
agreement.
To make matters worse for Wayne videos of his deposition for the case surfaced
on the web back in late September. In the videos he is scene making a mockery
of the whole process and uncooperative in answering questions. Last week Wayne
was set to appear in front of judge and jury but missed court due to health issues. That left
Wayne's lawyer with only his recorded deposition to show the jury, which did
not sit well with the judge. As a result of all the proceedings Wayne not only
lost his lawsuit but also lost the countersuit brought against him as
well.
Lil Wayne indeed acted inappropriately during his deposition but I
do not put all the blame on him. As an upcoming manager I realize that aside
from handling my various artist business I also act as sort of a life coach.
When my artist are too brash on social networking sites (i.e. Twitter, Facebook)
and might come across as offensive, I instantly contact them to shut down
whatever they're doing. In this case Wayne's management team should have
prepped him for the deposition. Properly prepare your artist for the courtroom
the same as you might for an exclusive interview.
Hi Antwyne,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting post about what is happening on The Industry Scene. Lil Wayne was very curt in his responses and somewhat disrespectful. As his manager, it would be correct to debrief an artist on his professionalism and public etiquette. However, it is my opinion that his attorney should have never allowed the artist’s taped depositions to be entered as testimony to the issue of unauthorized use of his music. What is seen and heard in the videos seems to have little, if any, relevance to the issue of Quincy Jones III illegally using the plaintiff’s, Lil Wayne, music. Apparently, the system can be used to decide a case based on how well one is liked.
In Lil Wayne’s case, the judge obviously was not impressed with the rapper’s, “say less than necessary” antics. Greene states that, “powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less,” however, in this case the reversal of the law is true. It was unwise for Lil Wayne to be short, curt and use laws of power to make a mockery of the system in which he sought justice. Unless, of course it was worth paying $2.2 million to make whatever point he was trying to get across. Otherwise, artists should recognize that, in addition to stiff penal system rulings, the system whiplash can have a much more devastating outcome such as being blacklisted. Particularly since the passing of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, in the twinkling of an eye, the world- renowned Dixie Chicks fell from grace and were immediately blacklisted after making comments against the president in 2003. It took this group over 4 years to make a come back that demonstrates the heartfelt reactions in their 2007 hit, Not ready to Make Good.