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Despite major record labels suing it for its AI technology, Timbaland is standing beside Suno, the music creation program. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Timbaland aligned himself with the artificial intelligence (AI) music creation tool Suno in October 2024, taking on the title of its strategic advisor. He had already been an avid user of the platform for several months. “You can put out great songs in minutes,” he said during an interview with Rolling Stone. “I always wanted to do what Quincy Jones did with Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ when he was [almost] 50. So my ‘Thriller,’ to me, is this tool. God presented this tool to me. I probably made a thousand beats in three months, and a lot of them—not all—are bangers and from every genre you can possibly think of. I just did four K-pop songs this morning!” Timbaland’s embrace of AI is not new. While speaking at the AFROTECH™ Conference in November 2023, during a panel titled “From Producer to Founder: A Conversation with...
50 Cent has created his own multiverse with his connected series such as “Power,” “Power Book II: Ghost,” Power Book III: Raisin,” and “Power Book IV: Force” on STARZ. One of the newest shows — “BMF” — that primarily exists outside this realm is based on a real-life Detroit drug and money laundering organization, Black Mafia Family. While the television show is headed into the second season and has seen a ton of commercial success, it is also at the epicenter of an ongoing lawsuit.
Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean are the latest rappers being sued for copyright infringement for their single “Go Crazy” released in 2020. After dropping new music, sometimes artists find their celebrations cut short due to an unforeseen lawsuit — and these two are no exception. According to court documents provided to Complex, Duawn Payne (Go Hard Major) and Harrell James (H-Matic) filed the copyright infringement lawsuit against the Hip-Hop artists due to claims that their single was “strikingly similar” to their song “Krazy,” which was released in 2012. Before the lawsuit, Payne and James issued a cease and desist to Megan Thee Stallion and Big Sean in March for their alleged “willful and reckless disregard” of their copyrights, HipHopDx reports.
Damon Dash has lost the “Dear Frank” lawsuit. According to TMZ, the co-founder of Roc-A-Fella Records has been ordered to pay Josh Webber and Muddy Waters Pictures more than $800,000 to settle the company’s lawsuit for defamation and copyright infringement. “I will get every penny due my clients,” promises Chris Brown, the attorney for the plaintiffs in the matter. According to HipHopDX, though, the two parties weren’t shy about exchanging verbal barbs in the media regarding the matter. Webber went on a tear on Instagram (which has since been deleted) calling Damon Dash a liar and accusing him of everything from the verbal abuse of the staff to being high on the set. For his part, Dash claimed that Webber was a “culture vulture” and was “trying to take credit for a Black man’s work.” It bears noting that while Webber’s rants have been deleted, Dash’s rants have not — and according to legal experts, this may have worked against him in the matter. Molly B. Kenny, who works in divorce...
As social media expands, it becomes easier to potentially violate copyright laws. The average person doesn’t think of copyright when posting a picture — since most of us are taking selfies or handing the camera off to friends — but it gets more complicated when celebrities are involved. A copyright infringement lawsuit filed in January of this year could change how celebrities and influencers use platforms like Instagram. The lawsuit comes from Xclusive-Lee, an agency who says that model, Gigi Hadid, posted one of its photos to her Instagram account. The agency claims doing so violates the company’s copyright. However, Hadid’s team filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this month. Her team claims that the model’s post fell under “ fair use ,” which provides specific circumstances where people can use copyrighted work without permission. Common circumstances include criticism, news reporting, and teaching. Most notably, Hadid’s team claims that she contributed to the creative...
Youtube has banned Gavin McInnes, Founder of the far-right group Proud Boys, for copyright infringement. McInnes had an audience of over 200,000 subscribers on the platform and while it’s not clear which videos are in question, Youtube says it “received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted.” Youtube also has a three-strike rule when it comes to copyright infringement, Earlier this year, Facebook, Twitter, PayPal, and Instagram banned McInnes following a New York City protest turned violent. At least five members of the Proud Boys, an alt-right extremist group, were arrested after the brawl. McInnes, a co-founder of Vice, has also been nixed from right-wing media company–Blaze Media–the company said in a tweet last week
Issa Rae is applauding those who are upholding DEI efforts. During SXSW 2025 in Austin, TX, the actress, producer, and newest part-owner of San Diego FC participated in a keynote conversation where she shared her thoughts on the evolving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) landscape, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A racial awakening occurred in 2020 following the death of George Floyd due to police brutality. This led to an influx of support and a record-breaking $4.3 billion in venture capital and corporate investments towards Black-owned businesses, per ABC News, as well as a 55% increase in DEI roles created, notes NBC News. As time has gone on, many of these bold commitments around DEI have faded out. This has only worsened due to pressures from conservative groups challenging such efforts in litigation, with some success. Legal wins for the right have included the dismantling of Fearless Fund’s Strivers Grant program, which awarded Black woman-owned businesses, and the...
A federal judge is reportedly considering significantly reducing a multimillion-dollar settlement previously awarded to Clifford “T.I.” Harris and Tameka “Tiny” Harris. Multiple reports indicate that the judge is contemplating lowering the $71 million settlement to $17.8 million due to insufficient evidence that MGA acted in bad faith, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Last year, a jury awarded the Atlanta couple $71 million after a lengthy legal battle with MGA concerning the alleged misappropriation of their likeness in its popular ‘L.O.L. (Li’l Outrageous Littles) Surprise Dolls line, as reported by AFROTECH™. “Jurors reportedly agree that ‘L.O.L. Surprise! OMG dolls’ infringed on the trade dress and misappropriated the name, image, and likeness of the all-female group that T.I. and Tiny formed,” AFROTECH™ reported. During the weeks-long trial, lawyers pointed out seven MGA Dolls with appearances uncanny to the singers at “ very specific public events.” Tiny’s oldest daughter, Zonnique...
Dame Dash’s Roc-A-Fella share is no longer up for sale. As previously reported by AFROTECH™, Dame Dash was hit with an $800,000 judgment stemming from a copyright infringement and defamation lawsuit. Soon after, it was announced that his Roc-A-Fella share, valued at $1.2 million, would be put up for auction to cover his debt. The auction generated buzz as the share included partial ownership of Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt,” and its associated songs. “Based on feedback I have received from interested parties (and I can’t mention names), this auction will likely bring out many household names in the sports and entertainment industries as well as those interested in a piece of a historically significant company, which holds an interest in a timeless debut album,” Dame Dash’s attorney Natraj Bhushan explained to Billboard at the time. The auction attracted attention from artists, including Drake and, unsurprisingly, Jay-Z, who allegedly made public claims that he would obtain...
At this moment in time, a judge is washing his hands of a decision involving Jay-Z and Dame Dash’s shares. As AFROTECH™ previously mentioned, Dame Dash is soon having his shares in Roc-A-Fella Records sold at auction following an $800,000 judgement from a copyright infringement and defamation of character lawsuit. The auction has been gaining significant attention as the buyer and new stakeholder would have the rights to Jay-Z’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” Even Drake reportedly showed interest in purchasing the shares through a direct message, Dame Dash had said. “Based on feedback I have received from interested parties (and I can’t mention names), this auction will likely bring out many household names in the sports and entertainment industries as well as those interested in a piece of a historically significant company, which holds an interest in a timeless debut album,” Dame Dash’s attorney Natraj Bhushan explained to Billboard at the time. Jay-Z’s attorney’s has since...
Today’s young adults had no shortage of dolls to play with in childhood, from Barbie and her fabulous friends to the always stylish Bratz crew. There was Polly Pocket and MyScene too, but it wasn’t until late 2016 that the girls of L.O.L. (Lil Outrageous Littles) Surprise! entered the chat. The miniature dolls come from MGA Entertainment Inc., which founder Isaac Larian has an 82% stake in. Interestingly, the remaining 18% belongs to his family. While they quickly became a hit among young fashionistas , the L.O.L. Surprise! dolls have faced some controversies over the past decade, which have caused a noticeable cut in quality and quantity. Now that rapper T.I. and his vocalist wife, Tiny, have successfully won a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against MGA, it’s unclear what the future holds for L.O.L. What Exactly Are L.O.L. Surprise! Dolls? Photo Credit: Dan Kitwood Not long after the L.O.L. Surprise! line debuted, it became America’s No. 1 toy for most of 2017. The next year, MGA...
There’s been an update in Dame Dash’s sentiments regarding ownership of “Reasonable Doubt.” In a recent Instagram video, Dame Dash acknowledged that there is “a lot going on” but he was surprised the media hadn’t covered what he considers “very relevant” news regarding his dispute with Jay-Z over the 1996 debut album. Dame Dash asserted that the City of New York, not him, filed a significant court document on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, stating its concern over alleged misleading comments by Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records (RAF). Per a report by All Hip Hop, the City, represented by the NYC Department of Social Services, requested a pre-motion conference as well as a stay of Dame Dash’s auction sale as a result. The petition was reportedly submitted to U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger. “’Jay-Z’s statements to the press have poisoned the environment for the auction,'” Dame Dash read from the City’s alleged statement. “‘He has claimed that he has a termination right under the...