Nardo Ranks Files $500k Lawsuit Against HoodCelebrityy For Copyright Infringement
Reggae star from the 90’s Nardo Ranks is suing dancehall’s Walking Trophy hitmaker HoodCelebrityy over what he feels is copyright infringement.
In a civil suit filed in a Manhattan court, Ranks, whose real name is Gary Henderson alleges that HoodCelebrityy pirated lyrics from his 90’s hit Them A Bleach.
Ranks alleges that HoodCelebrityy, whose real name is Tina Pinnock, copied lyrics from his 90’s hit and used them in her Run Di Road tune which was released in March 2020 by her KSR Group label.
Hood dropped the official video for Run Di Road just last week.
“We acknowledge that imitation is the highest form of flattery but HoodCelebrityy imitated Nardo and calls it her own — that is breaking the law,” said Ranks’ attorney Taso Pardalis to the NYPost.
Ranks’ lawsuit claims Hood “pirated and extracted significant phrasing” from the original song which was released in 1992. The contested lyrics seem to be Hood’s second verse in Run Di Road:
An mi nuh bleach
Mi nuh bleach out mi skin
Mi nuh bleach
Cah mi ah born browning
Mi nuh bleach
Mi never bleach out mi skin
Mi nuh bleach
Cah mi ah born browning, yeah
Nardo’s Them A Bleach opened with:
Bwoy, true Buju Banton go tell the girl dem ’bout, “browning”
All of the girl dem a run go shop go bleach
‘Cause dem waan brown skin
All of the girl demAnd dem a bleach
Dem a bleach out dem skin
Dem a bleach
Fi look like a browning
Dem a bleach
Dem a bleach out dem skin
Dem a bleach
Fi look like a browning
Ranks, who names HoodCelebrityy and her record label in the suit, wants at least $500,000 in damages.
Nardo Ranks rose to fame in the late ’80s and early ’90s and was most known for his songs Dem A Bleach, Burrup, and Rykers Island.
Since migrating to the United States in the late 90’s he had taken a hiatus from music and was actively pursuing acting.
In 2013, Ranks had hinted at a return to music when he collaborated with a Puerto Rican singer Cosculluela for the reggaeton song Purrrm!.