Uncle Luke Celebrates 2 Live Crew Regaining Legal Control Of Their Iconic Music Catalog

Thanks to a federal ruling in Florida, 2 Live Crew have recently regained legal control of their catalog. After spending years of litigation, Uncle Luke, the heirs of Fresh Kid Ice, and Brother Marquis came out winning their legal battle with Lil Joe Records, the label that has owned their copyrights for decades.

The key to the group’s victory was turning to copyright law’s “termination right,” which is a provision that allows artists to reclaim their work after initially selling them to labels. This right was used as the main argument in 2 Live’s case. On the other hand, Lil Joe Records, the label responsible for pulling the group out of bankruptcy in the 1990s, asserted that the termination rights didn’t apply in this situation, arguing that 2 Live’s music was legally bounded to be under the label’s ownership.

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However, a jury sided with 2 Live, stating that the right to terminate was inalienable. As a result, the hip-hop legends were able to regain control of their five albums, including their infamous 1989 “As Nasty as They Wanna Be” record.

“Our team has fought this battle for nearly four years and are thankful to have had the opportunity to present our case to the jury and see justice served. The verdict was a total and overwhelming victory for our clients and artists everywhere,” 2 Live’s attorney, Scott Alan Burroughs, said.

Additionally, following the verdict on Wednesday, Uncle Luke took to social media to celebrate the victory.

“2 Live Crew, we won! We got all our shit back from Lil Joe Weinberger. All of it! All the albums! Yes, we won! God is so good, you just gotta believe in him,” he said in a video.

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Luke also shared a photo alongside the legal team outside of the courthouse, thanking them for assisting with the win.

“We are so blessed. I want to thank the attorneys in this case, Mark Ross, Chris Wong Wong’s kids, who stood hard in the paint, and our attorneys who believed in this case,” he continued, “This case was about getting back what was wrongfully [taken] away from us. This morning, I am so happy for all of our kids. Now they can reap the benefits and the rewards of their parents’ hard work.”

Nonetheless, Lil Joe Records legal counsel Richard Wolfe, have made it clear that the fight is not over and they’re planning the appeal the verdict, arguing that the case presented legal issues involving the combination of termination rights and federal bankruptcy law.

“Since this is a matter of first impression … which has never before been heard by any court, it may go to the Supreme Court,” Wolfe said to Billboard. “The bankruptcy code is clear that all assets of a bankrupt party are part of the bankruptcy estate. All means all.”