Danny Pepperseed is setting the record straight amidst ongoing confusion over the song splits for the 1991 track “When,” by dancehall artist Tiger, produced by Steely and Clevie which was interpolated without permission on Drake’s “Blue Green Red“.
In an exclusive statement to World Music Views (WMV), Pepperseed asserted, “Now Gussie is telling one bag a lie. Gussie is making it look like all of a sudden the Drake thing come up and we try to change the split. It has always been 1/3, 1/3, 1/3.”
Gussie Clarke, owner of Dubplate Publishing and manager of Tiger’s interests in the song, says it is Danny who is telling the lie. “That is a lie. For the past 30 or more years, the registration and the splits that we were aware of was Tiger wrote the lyrics 50%, and Steely and Clevie is the composer share, which is another 50% of the copyright. It was never contested or discussed.”
When WMV informed Pepperseed last week that the track had been released, he had said no permission was given and yesterday he said negotiations were ongoing but further stated that there is a dispute initiated by Clarke’s publishing company Duplate Publishing on the track
“Blue Green Red,” is set to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 63 and Pepperseed referencing an email from Sony Music Publishing dated January 7, 2022, now indicates that Greensleeves Publishing which represents Dubplate Music’s interest attempted to alter the splits in 2021. This he says, was confirmed by Sony Music. According to Pepperseed, “Greensleeves Publishing understands the splits to be 25% Clevie, 25% Steely, and 50% Tiger, and tried to change the splits to those percentages in 2021.” However, he noted that the split had been recorded in Sony’s and PRS’s systems “from 1991.”
In response to the changes, Pepperseed confirmed on January 10, 2022, that the splits should remain at 1/3 each, as stated in the Sony email. “Because Steely and Clevie are composers and co-writers of the lyrics, I replied to the guy from Sony and confirmed that his email had the correct split of 1/3 each,” Pepperseed said.
Clarke disputes those claims and expressed his frustration with the situation, saying, “Clevie called me about the Drake scenario, and I told him I was not aware of it. The reason he called me was because the song was in dispute somewhere. He then went into an elaborate discussion that he had co-written some elements of the lyrics with Tiger, and I said I didn’t know anything about that. After I hung up, I discovered they had made changes to the lyrics and credited themselves.”
Clarke continued, “I didn’t say anything to him but was disappointed because I was just finding out. I did some checks and saw that they changed it somewhere and could not update it in other areas because some places required all parties to agree on the changes.”
The Rumors riddim producer claims that the dispute is a matter of principle, given Tiger’s inability to defend himself due to illness. “Now if something is uncontested for 30 years, he (Clevie) should just leave it alone so a fellow musician who is not doing well could just get it. Tiger is not in a position mentally to dispute, but as far as I am concerned, it’s a matter of principle, not a matter of money. If Clevie did really co-write some part of the lyrics with discussion and agreement, I have no issue; he should be accorded. But if he didn’t, after 30 years, I have a serious problem with him as an individual. It is a strange thing at a strange time.”
Steely and Clevie, who were a prominent musical duo since the 1970s, have other legal challenges in the music industry after Steely’s death in September 2009 and the duo’s company being in pursuit of copyright royalties over 1800 reggaeton songs. Clarke also acknowledged past disputes with Clevie noting, “We had minor disputes before, and I recognize him as one of the greatest musicians of his era. It’s not the first time I’ve seen this kind of advocacy from his camp. Tiger’s mental state is he is not in a reasonable and sound mind to advocate or to deny or accept anything, but what was told to me is my position.”
Clarke added, “Common sense would dictate that it be resolved in the interest of what is truthful and right. But my position is the position that existed in the past 30 odd years, and the only reason Clevie brought it to my attention was because a dispute existed somewhere and we could resolve it, but I have a serious challenge.”
Pepperseed, defending his client’s interests, asserted that Tiger did not have a complete song ready at the time of recording in 1991. He recounted, “Tiger ‘didn’t have a song,’ but while at the studio, he got a call for a show and asked the person on the line ‘When?’ That’s how they decided on the title for the track.”
Since January 11, 2022, there have been no further updates on the status of “When.” Pepperseed remarked, “He (Gussie) is just trying to get a higher split, but there are no grounds for it. Danny Browne, Skatta, and Bobby Digital’s stepson Sheldon Stewart, aka Cali Bud, were there,” he said. “The royalties will be frozen if there is a dispute, and if he (Gussie) is talking about boxing food out of people’s mouths, then this is one way he is doing that to Tiger, who is currently ill.”
The dispute will not impact the pending copyright infringement case against Drake and Republic Records, who released “Red Blue Green” without permission to interpolate “When.” Clarke commented, “When I heard about it was when Clevie spoke with me. My position was this is pretty odd because Drake’s people should do their due diligence. But I just said those things have a channel and come back around till it is resolved. I don’t know what happened in this instance.”
Pepperseed, representing his client’s interests, say he remains open to pursuing legal action against all parties, if the matter cannot be resolved out of court. “What’s being considered is the performance royalties and the mechanicals, but the fact that we can also take him to court for whatever we decide remains on the table. We haven’t decided that yet,” he said.
Clarke on the other hand clarified that there is no intention of legal action from his side against Drake and Republic Records: “I would never sue them; only a fool would talk about suing them. These things are resolvable. The first thing you do is try to resolve it with all parties, and then you move forward. When two sets of people have challenges, that complicates everything. When people run up their mouths and talk about suing, it’s two things: it’s because they haven’t been advised in what experience dictates.”
Defending his client’s reputation, Pepperseed expressed disappointment with Gussie’s comments, stating, “I have been around in this business for a long time; I have been in the dancehall music scene since the early ’90s and met Clevie in ’96. I can tell you that knowing Clevie since 1996, he has always been the nicest person you can imagine from day one since I met him,” Pepperseed added. “I have been working with Clevie professionally for over 12 and a half years.”
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