UPDATE: The deejay who made a Shirley Caesar sermon into a viral hit says that although she’s denying there is a $5 million lawsuit, the cease and desist he’s received is just ‘biting the hand that feeds her.’
DJ Suede told Bossip.com that he’s helped legendary gospel artist Caesar gain more recognition through his remix of a much longer sermon called “Hold My Mule.”
Via Bossip.com:
“I respect Pastor Shirley’s position and there’s no beef at all with everybody,” the 26-year-old Atlanta DJ tells Bossip. “I really feel like it’s her legal team. I want this to be a good thing for the both of us.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀
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You may recall, Shirley Caesar claims that she is not suing the DJ, but instead has sent out a cease and desist for him to remove the song from iTunes, in which he is profiting. She also asked the DJ to remove the video from Youtube because it contains alcohol and twerking. ⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“We weren’t focusing the video around any negativity,” DJ Suede said of the video. “It wasn’t about twerking, liquor…It was just fun. Everybody had fun. I don’t think we tarnished or brought anything bad to her name.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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DJ Suede said that he caught on to Pastor Caesar’s “Hold My Mule” sermon around the Thanksgiving holiday and decided to put his own personal take. It wasn’t long before celebrities like Chris Brown and Ciara caught on, and the remix went viral.
The remix even shot to number one on the gospel Billboard charts and became the number one ringtone. He’s not the only one who benefit, however. According to DJ Suede, Caesar launched a line of aprons, saw an increase in album sales and even made television appearances. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“It’s kind of biting the hand that feeds you, but I don’t look for any handouts,” the DJ said. “I was happy to get her to another level in her life.”
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“I look forward to meeting her, giving her a hug and thanking her for what she’s done,” the DJ said. ⠀⠀
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Shirley Caesar’s legal team saying that she and DJ Suede were in negotiations for the track but Suede backed out, however the producer/DJ says that they DID in fact come to an agreement. Suede says they agreed they’d split the sales profits down the middle, and he even agreed to make sure she got the lion’s share of the publishing. Suede says he believes it is Shirley Caesar’s legal team that got into her ear and this is not the work of the reverend.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Grammy-winning gospel singer Shirley Caesar is setting the record straight about a $5M lawsuit over the #UNameItChallenge: It’s just not true.
According to Vibe, earlier this week it was being reported that someone filed a lawsuit on Caesar’s behalf against Atlanta-based producer DJ Suede for profiting off the challenge by selling his remixed version of the track and a video that features people twerking and consuming alcohol to the song.
But Caesar wrote on her Facebook page on Saturday that she’s not suing, but there is an injunction to stop the sales of the track and the video because they go against her beliefs and her brand.
“When they refused to remove the commercial song from the Internet and the video, to protect Pastor’s legacy and what Shirley Caesar stands for, we had to take legal action, secure a temporary injunction and order DJ Suede to remove the video, as well as cease and desist sales,” her statement reads.
“We want to make it clear Pastor Caesar does not endorse the imagery or abuse of alcohol endorsed in the video by having her voice everywhere on the track. Please also note, we have not filed any lawsuits or sued anyone even though it is my right.
But, it is our hope and prayer that DJ Suede and Empire will do the right thing, and respect Pastor Caesar’s legacy, image and name and follow the Court injunction ordering them to remove this video and the I-Tunes song, a clear violation of copyright and trademark laws.”
Caesar isn’t the only celeb denying lawsuits.
Apparently, Doug E. Fresh states that despite reports, he isn’t suing Empire for illegally sampling his 1993 classic, “I-ight.” He took to Twitter to clear up the confusion:
https://twitter.com/RealDougEFresh/status/807663790103887873
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DJ Says Shirley Caesar Is ‘Biting The Hand That Fed Her In ‘U Name It’, Doug. E. Fresh Isn’t Suing ‘Empire’ was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
