Public Enemy’s Chuck D Sells Publishing Rights To Over 300 Songs

Chuck D

Public Enemy’s Chuck D Sells Publishing Rights To Over 300 Songs

Public Enemy’s Chuck D has sold a large amount of his songwriting catalog to his longtime publisher, Reach Music.

On Tuesday (Sept. 13), it was announced that Reach Music is acquiring 50% of copyright ownership interest and 100% of the writer’s share, including global administration rights, to Chuck D’s catalog. Songwriting royalties are split in two — the writer share and the publisher share. According to reports, Chuck D will get the other 50% of the copyright ownership.

Flavor Flav & Chuck D

While the sale doesn’t cover the entirety of Chuck D’s output, it does include over 300 songs and Public Enemy’s most formative work released between 1987 and 2012. During that period, Chuck D and Public Enemy released several classic albums, including ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’, ‘Fear of a Black Planet, and ‘Apocalypse 91 … The Enemy Strikes Back.’ Chuck D co-wrote the majority of Public Enemy’s songs during this time, including classics like ‘Bring the Noise,’ ‘Fight the Power,’ and ‘Welcome to the Terrordome.’

Chuck D had this to say in a statement:

“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 HipHop genre songwriting and publishing-wise, and they will continue taking care of my works.”

Reach’s president, founder, and owner, Michael Closter, 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.”