Key Takeaways:
– New Line Cinema switched musical genres from rock to rap for the soundtrack of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
– The Fat Boys released “Are You Ready for Freddy?” for the movie's official soundtrack.
– DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Will Smith, released “A Nightmare on My Street,” a track inspired by the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
– Due to disagreements during negotiations with New Line Cinema, Smith's song did not make it to the film's soundtrack.
– New Line Cinema sued the music company responsible for the music video for “A Nightmare on My Street,” citing copyright infringement.
– A music video for Smith's song resurfaced online 30 years later despite a court injunction against its airing.
The transition from rock to rap genre noted in the promotion of the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” sequel by New Line Cinema resulted in an interesting series of events. In an intriguing move, New Line moved away from the traditional promotional avenue of rock music, with successful results. The shift in genre acknowledged the audience demographic, as according to Daniel Herbert's recently published book “Maverick Movies: New Line Cinema and the Transformation of American Film,” around 40 percent of the Nightmare series audience was Black.
A Change in Musical Direction for Elm Street
The film company enlisted the services of The Fat Boys, a hip-hop group known for their comic approach to rap music, for the film sequel's soundtrack. Their song, “Are You Ready for Freddy?” was featured in a music video that depicted the group being terrorized by Freddy Krueger, the film's notorious villain played by Robert Englund. However, another rap group also created a song heavily inspired by the Elm Street series that year.
A Challenge from The Fresh Prince
DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, otherwise known as the famous actor Will Smith, also recorded their own Elm Street-inspired rap song entitled “A Nightmare on My Street.” Released in their album “He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper,” the track and its corresponding music video resembled the settings and characters of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. This did not sit well with New Line.
Legal Agreements and Disputes
According to Herbert's book, New Line did entertain negotiations with representatives for DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince to create an Elm Street-themed song and video; however, discussions broke down. Despite this fallout, the NOES-inspired song and music video were still released. This led New Line to sue the music company responsible for the video.
Court Ruling and Aftermath
The court upheld an injunction against the music video being aired. As a result, a disclaimer sticker was added to the album packaging of “He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper” stating that “A Nightmare on My Street” had no official connection to the Nightmare on Elm Street film series and was not part of The Dream Master soundtrack. Despite these issues, a copy of the music video allegedly survived and resurfaced online 30 years later.
This legal dispute highlights the importance of clear agreements and understanding of copyright laws in the music and film industry. Fans of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, as well as fans of Will Smith's music career, find this episode fascinating—adding yet another layer of intrigue to one of Hollywood's most popular horror franchises.
