DJ Kool Herc Sues HBO

HBO’s series Vinyl, which is about the music industry in the 1970’s, has been a modest hit, but don’t count DJ Kool Herc as a fan. The man credited with creating Hip-Hop in The Bronx is suing the cable network over his portrayal on the show.

 

Herc believes a character who is blatantly supposed to be him was used without proper permission.
Reports DNA Info New York:

One of the characters in the series is named Mr. Campbell or “Herc,” and there is “no doubt” that he is supposed to portray the real DJ Kool Herc “and his contribution to the development of hip-hop music,” according to the lawsuit filed against HBO in Manhattan Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Before the show aired, representatives from the network approached the Sedgwick Avenue DJ with a contract that would pay him $10,000 for waiving his rights and consultation services regarding the show, but he refused to sign, according to court papers.

The lawsuit says that surrendering his rights about how he was portrayed and about his role in creating hip-hop was “too steep a sacrifice” in exchange for just $10,000.
However, HBO did not follow up about this with DJ Kool Herc or remove his character from “Vinyl,” but rather aired the series without his consent, according to the suit.

According to Herc, $10,000 was not enough to give the rights to the use of his likeness. HBO thinks his claim isn’t valid since he isn’t be portrayed negatively on the show.

Recently, Herc’s old block in the Boogie Down was renamed Kool Herc Boulevard. The fact that HBO sought Herc to sign a document means that he was clearly entitled to proper compensation, no?

SOURCE: HHW