Chuck D has sold a huge stake in his back catalogue including over 300 songs. The Public Enemy rapper has made a deal with his longtime publisher Reach Music to give the company 100 percent of his writer royalties plus half of his copyright interest. In a statement to Rolling Stone magazine, he said: “Doing this deal was the right timing for a forward and logical evolution of our business together in an ever-changing industry.“Reach has always been ahead of the curve on establishing respect for the hip-hop genre songwriting, and publishing-wise they will continue taking care of my works.”
Although the sale doesn’t cover his entire body of work, it does include Public Enemy’s most formative work released from 1987 to 2012. During that time, the hip-hop legends released some iconic albums, such as It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, Fear of a Black Planet and Apocalypse 91 … The Enemy Strikes Back.
Meanwhile, during this period he co-wrote most of the group’s songs, including “Fight The Power,” “Bring The Noise” and “Welcome To The Terrordome.”
Michael Closer, Reach’s president, founder, and owner added: “I’m so grateful to Chuck for our business together as his music publisher throughout these many decades. “There’s no one more consequential in the world of hip-hop than Chuck D, and he has written iconic and impactful songs that will forever be a part of music history.
“The team at Reach will continue working hard to protect these works while also introducing them to new generations to come.”
The move comes after the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and Neil Young have struck similar deals over the past couple of years.
