Canadian Rapper wins fight against interscope/universal for rights to Kendrick Lamar feature

Montreal rapper Jonathan Emile has a won the right to use a verse from Kendrick Lamar that he had collaborated on back in late 2011. Recorded before Kendrick blew up by the time he posted the song to social media platforms it was removed and Jonathan was hit with copyright infringement. The song in question is titled “Heaven Help Dem’ which addresses police brutality and mistreatment towards racial minorities. The small claims court ordered the label to pay Emile a total of 8000 in damages. The verse itself had costed 7500 dollars. Although this is a victory in the sense the rights have been returned the Canadian rapper did have to endure a delay to his debut release “The Lover/Fighter Document” years in the making, in which the track with Lamar was to be the lead off single. The rapper details a loss of momentum and questioned reputation following the takedown. Hopefully this incident will allow Jonathan to gain some exposure and set a precedent for other independent artists who venture out in the world of big name artist collabs.