Birdman’s interview with The Breakfast Club will forever go down in rap infamy as it immediately went viral, spawning tons of memes and of course, “respek.” The word picked up quickly, being used by NBA announcers, pro wrestlers and more. Being the ultimate opportunist, Birdman turned what was an embarrassing moment into profit when he released a single “Respek” and began selling merchandise with the word plastered on it. The move might get him into a bit of trouble now that a man is claiming to own the copyrights to the word and wants in on the profit.
JV, is the owner of the a clothing line named “This Respek Wear,” which was launched in 2005 and in recent weeks began posting videos on Instagram making light of the fact that he is the originator of the term. TMZ has obtained a copy of a letter that JV’s reps sent to Birdman’s attorneys asking to have a sit down. The tone of the letter is not threatening a lawsuit but that may be the likely scenario if JV does not get his way. As of now, JV has been creating t-shirts mocking Birdman with the tag #respektheoriginal. Birdman could do without the negative legal press considering he is still very much embroiled in a high profile lawsuit with his “son” and artist Lil Wayne.
A photo posted by This Respek Wear Clothing ™ (@thisrespekwear) on
