Last week, Chuck D and John Densmore announced their debut album no country for old men under the name of doPE. The moniker is meant to combine the beginning of the Doors' lowercase logo and the Public Enemy abbreviation PE, but longstanding NYC industrial crew Dope are pointing out that it will "invite a good bit of market confusion."
Edsel Dope's post about the matter is respectful and even endearing. He says he owns the trademark and requests that they both "hit [him] up directly" and that he would love to collaborate. He also adds that he "[knows] every word from Apocalypse 91" and has "smoked more weed listening to the Doors than one could ever imagine." Here's what he said in full:
Yooooooo!
I am a huge fan of Chuck D , Public Enemy, and the Doors, so the last thing that I want to do is interrupt a creative endeavor from two legends that I admire and respect.
However, it is important for me to highlight the 25 years I have devoted to building a band/brand, which has found a good bit of success and built a sizable fan base around the globe.
Those 4 letters “dope” have been tattooed on my knuckles since 1998.
I appropriately registered the artist name dope and I have owned the Trademark, ever since I hit the scene, more than 25 years ago…
Unfortunately for Chuck and John, choosing to call themselves doPE would invite a good bit of market confusion, especially on the streaming services like Spotify, where I have more than a million monthly listeners, along with several hundred million combined streams…
The paperwork is up to date, and my rights regarding the name are indisputable.
Next to the two of you, I humbly consider myself "the little guy”.
So if YOU TWO LEGENDS are committed to using MY FOUR LETTERS, Please hit me up directly, as I would love to be part of some form of collaborative effort with you.
I know every word from Apocalypse 91 & I have smoked more weed listening to The Doors than one could ever imagine.
LOVE AND RESPECT TO YOU BOTH!
-Edsel Dope
