Jamaican Dancehall Singer Shabba Ranks Sues to Claw Back Publishing Catalog
The reggae star wants to reclaim the rights to his Billboard Hot 100 hits, plus the foundational 1990 song “Dem Bow.”
In a legal dispute, Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks is seeking to reclaim ownership of his publishing rights from Greensleeves Records. Born Rexton Gordon, Shabba filed a lawsuit on September 11, targeting the publishing arm of the reggae label. The lawsuit, reported by Billboard, seeks to recover compositions such as "Slow and Sexy," "Housecall," "Mr.
Loverman," and "Let's Get It On." Additionally, Shabba's catalog includes the 1990 hit "Dem Bow," which is central to a copyright infringement suit involving the reggaeton genre.
The case revolves around copyright termination, a provision under U.S. copyright law that allows authors to reclaim their intellectual property after it has been relinquished. Shabba initiated this process in 2023, but Greensleeves refused to comply. The publishing company argued that Shabba's 1989 publishing deal classified his compositions as "works made for hire," rendering them ineligible for copyright termination.
However, Shabba's legal team, Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt, disputes this classification, asserting that Shabba was never an employee of Greensleeves and that musical compositions cannot be deemed works made for hire merely through a contractual agreement.
Shabba's legal team contends that the compositions are indeed eligible for copyright termination, regardless of the work-for-hire provision in the agreement. The publisher has yet to comment on the lawsuit. Copyright termination has become a focal point in contemporary music law, with Salt-N-Pepa currently contesting Universal Music Group over a similar issue. Major record labels are also pursuing similar legal strategies, aiming to have the Supreme Court weigh in on the matter.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
