On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by platinum selling R&B diva Nicci Gilbert of the iconic trio Brownstone. Nicci is a singer, songwriter, and film and stage producer who created the stage play “Soul Kittens Cabaret” in 2003. Nicci subsequently filed suit against the Starz network and others alleging that the hit show “P-Valley” uses the same plot line and wrongly infringes upon copyrighted elements of Soul Kittens Cabaret. Through her own experience, Nicci explains what intellectual property is and how difficult it can be for Black creatives in particular to protect their work. She candidly discusses the entertainment industry normalizing the theft of intellectual property through bad contracts, promises of exposure, and enforcing the notion that it’s part of “paying one’s dues” on the road to success. Nicci uses her and other Black artist’s experiences to explain what’s at stake when creatives lose ownership of their work. But most importantly, we learn what’s being done to close the gap. Tune in to learn more!

Homework

1. Get caught up on past episodes of Broke-ish.
2. Donate to The Creatives Coalition.

Receipts

Nicci Gilbert

On this episode, Amber and Erika are joined by platinum selling R&B diva Nicci Gilbert of the iconic trio Brownstone. Nicci is a singer, songwriter, and film and stage producer who created the stage play “Soul Kittens Cabaret” in 2003. Nicci subsequently filed suit against the Starz network and others alleging that the hit show “P-Valley” uses the same plot line and wrongly infringes upon copyrighted elements of Soul Kittens Cabaret. Through her own experience, Nicci explains what intellectual property is and how difficult it can be for Black creatives in particular to protect their work. She candidly discusses the entertainment industry normalizing the theft of intellectual property through bad contracts, promises of exposure, and enforcing the notion that it’s part of “paying one’s dues” on the road to success. Nicci uses her and other Black artist’s experiences to explain what’s at stake when creatives lose ownership of their work. But most importantly, we learn what’s being done to close the gap. Tune in to learn more!