Lil Jon and his legal professionals are taking Stay Nation to activity — and mulling a possible lawsuit — over the live performance promoter’s well-liked Las Vegas pageant, Lovers & Buddies.
The pageant, which debuted final 12 months after a pandemic delay, boasts the identical identify as Lil Jon’s 2004 hit with Ludacris and Usher, “Lovers & Buddies.” Whereas Lil Jon — actual identify Jonathan Smith — mentioned he “objected to Stay Nation’s use of the identify” when he first turned conscious of the pageant, each events reportedly agreed to desk discussions about licensing and potential charges till after the inaugural occasion, which featured Lil Jon as a headliner (together with Usher and Ludacris).
In keeping with a brand new letter, despatched by Lil Jon’s lawyer Edwin McPherson to Stay Nation’s counsel, “Lil Jon trusted Stay Nation to do the correct factor” after they agreed to defer these licensing conversations. However the rapper’s temper was piqued after it turned clear Stay Nation allegedly made Lovers & Buddies an annual occasion with out his participation, regardless of the continued use of the identify.
In an unique assertion shared with Rolling Stone, a rep for Lil Jon mentioned, “After headlining the primary ‘Lovers & Buddies’ pageant — which was a bought out success — it’s fully disappointing to Lil Jon as each an artist and entertainer, that Stay Nation has performed all the things to not solely keep away from working with him personally, however his [legal] group as effectively to determine this out. Lil Jon received’t ever tolerate anybody, together with Stay Nation, stealing what he’s labored so onerous for in his profession, which incorporates what they’re doing with the ‘Lovers & Buddies’ pageant.”
Following the publication of this text, Lil Jon tweeted (in all-caps, however modified right here), “These huge firms ned to cease considering they will fuck over us artists! I’m not frightened of you. Proper is true and y’all MFs are flawed for what y’all are doing!!!”
Reps for Stay Nation didn’t instantly return Rolling Stone’s request for remark.
In keeping with McPherson’s letter, Stay Nation dismissed Lil Jon’s preliminary objections to the pageant identify and his questions on “how and the place the corporate obtained a license to make use of the identify.” In keeping with McPherson, “Stay Nation responded basically: ‘We don’t want no stinking license!’”
McPherson goes on to name Stay Nation’s determination to maintain utilizing the Lovers & Buddies identify “an apparent effort to confuse customers into considering that Lil Jon is performing on the Competition, or on the very least producing it. Such motion clearly constitutes egregious and predatory conduct, and company opportunism at its worst… The corporate then had the temerity to register ‘Lovers & Buddies’ as its personal trademark, and eject Lil Jon from the Competition.”
This, McPherson alleges, constitutes “a severe infringement of Lil Jon’s widespread regulation trademark,” and he claims the pageant has already stirred up loads of confusion over Lil Jon’s involvement: “[N]umerous people have been contacting Lil Jon every day, asking his function within the Competition, and telling him they’re very excited to see him,” McPherson claims.
McPherson then provides, “The actual fact is that there isn’t a ‘Lovers & Buddies’ Competition with out Lil Jon’s involvement. That is akin to having a ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ Competition with out Jimmy Buffett’s involvement or a ‘Don’t Cease Believin’’ Competition with out Journey.”
(As McPherson notes, there wouldn’t be a Lil Jon track referred to as “Lovers & Buddies” had been it not for the 1990 Michael Sterling track, “Lovers & Buddies.” Lil Jon’s model samples Sterling, with Sterling receiving a writing credit score on the 2004 monitor. Regardless of this, McPherson argues, the track “solely turned well-known when Lil Jon lined it and launched it,” and the track stays “omnipresent within the black neighborhood, sufficient in order that the identify ‘Lovers & Buddies’ has change into sufficiently well-known as to be related to a single supply, i.e. Lil Jon.”)
As for precise motion, McPherson mentioned Lil Jon “intends” to file a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Workplace to cancel Stay Nation’s registration of the Lovers & Buddies mark. He’s additionally contemplating an injunction to cease Stay Nation from utilizing the mark “in reference to this pageant (and anything),” in addition to monetary damages. McPherson pointedly famous that he and his consumer “imagine an settlement might be labored out” between the 2 events over the identify, however harassed: “Lil Jon is absolutely ready to start litigation within the occasion that no such settlement is forthcoming.”
Because it stands, Lovers & Buddies will return to Las Vegas on Could 6. Whereas Lil Jon isn’t a part of the lineup, the live performance will embrace performances from Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Sean Paul, and extra.
This story was up to date 1/31/23 at 3:21 p.m. ET with a tweet from Lil Jon.