21 Savage is receiving legal threats by the apparent trademark holders of FreakNik Festival, who are accusing the rapper of using the namesake to throw a birthday party this weekend.
FreakNik originated in Atlanta in the ’80s and gained popularity in the ’90s as an annual spring break fest. It was revived in 2019 as a three-day event, and the new trademark holders aren’t thrilled that Savage held a b-day bash under the same name.
Via what appears to be the official Twitter for FreakNik, organizers applauded the rapper and co-manager Meezy’s ATL festivities as “super dope,” but decided to make their concerns public.
“Sucks we gonna have to sue them when all we asked that they acknowledged us since it was a free event and they declined,” the account tweeted. “Spending over a million to revive a brand, fighting negative public perception and proving we can do it 2 years with no issues, comes at a cost. We can’t let others just infringe on that. So know when you hear them talk about we tried to work it out very easily beforehand.”
21 hit back, writing, “Y’all better sit down somewhere.”
The user then took to Instagram and shared alleged proof of the trademark, alongside a text exchange reportedly with Savage’s team. They reportedly told Meezy that “After 9 Partners have a trademark for FreakNik” and wanted to find a solution, but Meezy responded by saying he “doesn’t appreciate folks tryna attach themselves to something we are doing for fun.”
“We knew to bring this event back in a safe, respectable (non-family friendly 😫) way, we needed to control how it was done and we had to obtain the rights,” the account wrote. “The Federal Government granted us this EXCLUSIVE rights to use Freaknik.”
They then listed other examples of artists using the FreakNik name, including Saweetie and Quavo, but compared 21’s use to a “slap in the face.”
“We said we will give you license for FREE and was gonna ask to make sure it has a nonprofit presence there,” they wrote. “They said no...I didn’t want this smoke...again we said ‘man put on for the city just acknowledge us and we will give you the license FREE.’ Meezy said he would just change the name. He didnt…and here we are. Damn why Black folks gotta fight all the time instead of working together.”
21 Savage made his stance known again a couple hours later on a Shade Room post, writing, “Fuck it all y’all kids who tattoo knifes on they face for Halloween getting sued this year.”
Only time will tell if a lawsuit actually takes place over the alleged trademark, but 21 doesn’t seem fazed.
