THE WOOK REPORTS: Word to the wise — don’t look any members of Ink & Dagger in the eye for fear of litigious retribution the likes of which we haven’t seen since Arnie Becker retired in ’94:
Local Musician Terrence Yerves has sued Time Warner, the Cartoon Network, TBS and
old-school rap icon Schoolly D, alleging copyright infringement.
The suit, filed last week in federal court, asserts that in September 1999, while working at a recording session for Schoolly D, Yerves played drums on a song. Yerves, according to his legal complaint, was surprised about a year later when he heard the song used as the theme to the Cartoon Network show “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” to which Schoolly D contributes additional music.
Yerves’ name appears in the show’s credits, but his complaint says he’s never received a dime for his work on the song, which is now sold on DVDs of the series.
Yerves, 30, who has been in hardcore bands such as Ink & Dagger and Prema, is seeking unspecified damages.
Incidentally, his lawyer, Conor Corcoran, recently represented another former Ink & Dagger drummer, Ryan McLaughlin, in a copyright-infringement case against Microsoft. That one was settled out of court in July.
We caught up with Schoolly D, whose real name is Jesse B. Weaver, over the weekend. He dismissed Yerves’ suit as “totally ridiculous” and described his involvement as “extremely limited.”
“I didn’t ask for his input; he didn’t co-write it,” Schoolly D said, adding that Yerves knew “this is my song.”
Remember that the path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil rappers from Philadelphia. Blessed is he, who in the name of litigious retribution, shepherds stolen beats through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his own keeper and the finder of lost income. Yet I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my Adult Swim programming block. And you will know my name is the Wook when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
My weapon of choice — Bobby Brown’s prerogative.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: If HOLLA is a coal miner’s helmet, shining a light through the darkest, stankiest confines of Philly’s hip-hop scene — and it IS — then consider James Doolittle the sweaty dude with the dirty face wielding the pick axe. That’s Yer Wook: documentary filmmaker, music writer, kept man, reformed carnivore, and now, bringer of the phunk to the Phawk, straight up and South Philly style. Feel the wrath of his tofu, ye mortals. Forever and ever, Amen.