Rapper LL Cool J (search) joined entertainment executives Tuesday in defending the music industry’s lawsuits against hundreds of Internet users who illegally distribute music online.
“My question is, if a contractor builds a building, should people be allowed to move into the building for free?” the rapper, dressed in a black suit with an earring glistening in his right lobe, asked senators. “That’s how I feel if I record a song or make a movie, and it zooms around the world for free.”
Another rapper, Chuck D (search), founder of Public Enemy (search), testified at the Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing that people ought to be able to distribute the songs they want to hear on peer-to-peer Internet services, known as P2P. “P2P to me means power to the people,” said Chuck D. “I trust the consumer more than I trust the people at the helm of these [record] companies.”
“LL’s a staunch American,” Chuck D added in a brief interview. “He’s my man and all, man, but when you solely have an American state of mind, you’re increasingly becoming a smaller part of the world.”
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