It was never about the money - DYCR wins court case against Downsound Records

Popular dub poet DYCR is looking to rebuild his career following a successful lawsuit against musical giants, Downsound Records.

For the past 10 years, DYCR has been locked in a legal battle with the company spearheaded by Joe Bogdanovich.

The entertainer claimed the Sumfest boss failed to honour contractual obligations which resulted in the steady decline of his career.

When the case concluded late last year, the courts agreed and ruled in favour of DYCR. He was rewarded more than $1 million as compensation.

But in an interview with THE STAR, DYCR said the case was about more than just money.

"It was always about the principle. When you are promised something in a signed contract, it is supposed to be delivered. All I wanted to do was really put out my album because that's what I signed up for. The contract said one album would be released for me within the first year with the option for three more within a three-year time period. They (Downsound) had all the resources to do it and they didn't," he said. "I have now set an example for other artistes. This has shown that Davids are still slewing Goliaths, Samsons are still slewing Philistines and small axe still cutting down big trees so in terms of setting an example, it was definitely worth it."

His lawyer Ronald Young said that the important thing for DYCR was to get justice because the issue was hounding him for years.

Biggest takeaway

"Things in the court take a long time but at the end of the day, justice always prevails and I think that's the biggest takeaway from all this," he said. "If you get the right legal advice and guidance, then it can work out for you. It is important that you keep a record of all things because in the case of DYCR, we were able to present evidence to support what his career was like before signing with Downsound and that helped a lot."

When THE STAR contacted Bogdanovich, he was unwilling to talk about the matter anymore.

"That's a thing of the past and I'm in the present. I do wish him all the best though," he said.

DYCR says now that the case is behind him, he's looking forward to re-focusing and re-surfacing on the music scene.

"I feel good that the whole situation is over and done with because it was a very stressful situation. Fighting this battle was about me standing up for my rights and upholding the principles of this business. Now that it's over, I can focus on my career again," he said. "I've always been recording, I never stopped but now it's just for me to get back out there. If there is anyone out there who wants to come along, any label that makes sense that wants to work with DYCR, I'm open to doing so right now."