Tough to see this unfold like this.


https://www.google.com/amp/nypost.com/2017/08/17/ex-roots-drummer-sues-questlove-black-thought-over-unpaid-royalties/amp/

The Roots have apparently forgotten their roots.

A longtime member of the legendary “Tonight Show” house band is suing founders Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter — claiming they refused to pay him properly and then gave him the boot as a way to shut him up.

“They simply kicked him out of The Roots and presumed he would forget about almost two decades of hard work, dedication, and effort he put into ,” reads a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday by former percussionist Frank “Knuckles” Walker.

The drummer alleges that Thompson and Trotter, along with manager Shawn Gee, paid him “unfair compensation” and used his image to promote their performances after giving him the ax back in May.

“I’ve been a member of the roots for 17 years and there has been a lot of bad paper work and bad business,” Walker told The Post. “This is definitely a pattern with these Roots guys.”

While the Philly-based hip-hop group has been very successful — scoring three Grammys and a slew of nominations — they have an alleged history of not paying their bandmembers.

In January 2016, former bassist Leonard “Hub” Hubbard sued Thompson, Trotter and Gee — claiming that they failed to pay him as a co-owner following his departure, which was required in his contract.

Hubbard was forced to leave the band in 2007 after being diagnosed with blood cancer, but the other members apparently agreed to keep compensating him. He alleged in his suit that while he did get paid, it was only a small portion of their profits.

“There was a lot of bad dealings,” Walker said of his time in The Roots.

The award-winning musician is ultimately looking to get royalties from Thompson, Trotter and Gee for the promotional materials that he claims to still be featured on — and wants to “protect the public from being duped” into believing that he is still a member of the group.

“Defendants made no efforts to come to an agreement regarding past and future royalties, compensation and profits for ,” his suit says. “Though the defendants and remaining band members have essentially expelled Walker from The Roots and sought to exclude him from any future band income, Defendants have unlawfully continued to use Walker’s likeness and images in concert posters promoting their live performances, during their live performances, on their website, and on their Facebook and Instagram pages without Walker’s permission and authorization.”

Walker has been with the Philly-based hip-hop group since 2002 and can be heard on a number of their hit albums, including the Grammy Award-winning “Wake Up!” collab with John Legend.

“Walker has become intimately associated with all of the original hit songs and best-selling albums of The Roots, and the music of The Roots has become intimately associated with Walker,” his suit says. “By misappropriating Walker’s likeness to promote their band, Defendants have converted Walker into an involuntary spokesperson for the band and have created the false impression that Walker sponsors, endorses or is otherwise associated with the band when nothing could be further from the truth.”

Walker claims his bandmates subjected him to “cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard” of his rights — and that said acts were done “willfully, maliciously, and oppressively.”

He and his lawyer, Mark Shirian, are seeking monetary damages “in an amount sufficient to punish Defendants and to deter Defendants from committing such acts in the future.”

Thompson, Trotter and Gee could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

The only members people care about are Quest, Thought, James, Kamal and maybe Cap. Outside of that, they'll KIM. Hope this gets settled. Not a good look for my guys.

it's always been ?love and BT from the start, and others have and can come and go. Actually keeps it fresh.

And let's facing, nobody really cares who's doubling 15's snares. Sorry, Frank. And it's wack af to want royalties because you're still on posters and promo that was probably in place before you jetted. Or were jettisoned.

I can't see Tariq speaking on this but I wonder if Quest will

I had no clue Hub took them to court as well. Hope everything works out for everyone involved amicably. I believe there was an old post on these boards asking what happened to that mentioned ex-band member.

My sense is that maybe the venue's used old photos of the band which included Frank's image and so technically the band did profit from Knuckle's presence.

I'd be interested to hear ?uest's perspective. The Roots are my favorite group and I'd like to think that the integrity they express in their music spills over into the real world.

Somewhere in the middle is the truth and I definitely want to hear it.

I have no idea about any of what happened but here's what I do know:

1)There's no way that anyone with The Roots will speak on it - it's a poor legal strategy.

2)The article I read states:
“Walker is seeking monetary damages arising from defendants’ use of his likeness, and an injunction prohibiting defendants from using his likeness in order to protect his own legacy,” according to a filing from the law firm of Mark David Shirian P.C. The suit also alleges that Walker was paid “unfair compensation” for use of his likeness. It also claims that his “legacy” could be damaged by the Roots performing without making known that Walker is no longer in the band.

This is very likely that venues are suing "older" press materials with his photo on them. If he wins this I suspect Owen is owed cash too- and even Scratch.

Sounds to me - who knows nothing about it - like its the only thing he could possibly sue for.

But I doubt being associated with The Roots a few months after you leave will hurt your legacy - it likely gives a leg up.

And new bands probably don't like the airing of business in public like this.

P.S.:
I don't think we ever heard anything about the Hub lawsuit either.

It seems like pieces of the puzzle open show more clarity to what has been going on with the band since day one, it makes "Rising Down"'s "Pow Pow" seem like one of many and not just a few like Mr.15 said was.

I keep saying with all the group's ins & outs of members, it always seem to be unanswered questions to the "for personal", "for health", or maybe just really "financial" reasons they left and not the simple reasons that were given to us.

I know "Phrenology" suppose to be BT's way of letting out his personal reasons for this & that, but I feel personally this site is the cryptic footnotes and reference section for ?uest's books but I guess only so much can be told or deciphered if there is noting to go on but half examples of random thoughts; right after the Flo Brown vs. the creation of Mr. 15 open my eyes a little.