Snoop Dogg and Trevor Lawrence Jr. Settle Lawsuit Over Unlicensed Tracks from BODR Album
A legal dispute between Snoop Dogg and producer-drummer Trevor Lawrence Jr. has officially come to an end. The two parties have reached a settlement over claims that Snoop used Lawrence’s backing tracks without proper licensing on his 2022 album BODR (Bacc On Death Row).
The lawsuit, filed last summer, centered around two tracks from the album: “Pop Pop” and “Get This D*ck.” According to Lawrence, these instrumental tracks were originally created for Snoop to “experiment” with during studio sessions. Lawrence maintained that there was a clear understanding that any commercial use of the recordings would require a formal licensing agreement. However, when BODR was released, the tracks allegedly appeared on the album without any such agreement in place.
Adding another layer to the dispute, Lawrence also accused Snoop of releasing the songs as NFTs, generating millions of dollars in revenue without the producer’s consent. This allegation brought even more attention to the case, highlighting the growing legal gray areas around NFTs and music rights.
Snoop Dogg and his legal team denied any wrongdoing from the start. In court documents filed last December, they argued that a draft agreement had been exchanged between the two parties and that Lawrence had accepted a $20,000 producer fee prior to the album’s release. They also pointed out that Lawrence cashed the check, asserting that any further compensation would come from agreed-upon royalties, minus the upfront payment.
Furthermore, Snoop’s team accused Lawrence of attempting to secure what they described as a “preposterous windfall,” suggesting that his lawsuit aimed to extract millions beyond the initial compensation terms.
The case was originally scheduled to go to trial this coming September. However, as first reported by Billboard, the matter was resolved in April with the help of a mediator. On June 24, both parties filed a joint motion to dismiss the litigation, signaling that the issue had been settled behind closed doors.
Details of the settlement remain confidential, and both sides have chosen to stay tight-lipped about the final agreement. Frank Trechsel, Lawrence’s attorney, told Billboard: “Our client is happy to have resolved the dispute,” declining to elaborate further.
For now, the case’s resolution marks the end of a high-profile dispute between the West Coast rap legend and the respected producer. As the music industry continues to grapple with evolving distribution methods like NFTs, this settlement serves as a reminder of the complex legal terrain artists and producers must navigate when it comes to ownership and licensing.
