Who owns the rights to the famous slogan, “The Marathon Continues”?
Ever since Hussle’s March 31 shooting death in front of his South Los Angeles Marathon Clothing store, the slogan, “The Marathon Continues,” has become an ever-present catchphrase among fans, according to Revolt.
Now a legal battle may play out in court between Hussle’s family and the Crips street gang, which Hussle belonged to until his death.
The Crips gang applied to the courts on May 16 to trademark the slogan “The Marathon Continues.” The organization plans to use the trademark for several things including hosting charitable events and “developing educational manuals for others in the field of community organizing, gang prevention, gang intervention,” Revolt reported.
Hussle’s brother, Samiel “Blacc Sam” Asghedom, filed an application to trademark the slogan 12 days later, on May 28, according to court documents obtained by The Blast. Asghedom plans to use the slogan for entertainment services, music and “charitable activities and the doing of good deeds for others and the promotion of ethical and character values,” according to the report.
Once the U.S. Patent & Trademark office notices there are two filings, it will be up to them to decide who has the legal rights to profit from the slogan.
The Crips filed for the slogan trademark under their holding company, Crips LLC. In 2018, the Crips and Bloods registered as holding companies Crips LLC and Bloods LLC under a new socially conscious brand, Blood Cuzz’ns, according to a 2018 press release. The goal was to try and “shine up a sullied reputation by repurposing their organization.”
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Once immortalized in rap music, movies, and the crime blotters of national newspapers, “now the notorious Crips gang is making news for a legit business move,” Selena Hill wrote for Black Enterprise.
“From banging to branding is par the course of cultural evolution,” said Bryanna Jenkins, chief operating officer for Blood Cuzz’n, in the press release. “It’s right alongside the technology (ride sharing) that has given way for our 15-year-old daughters to jump in and out of cars everyday being driven by complete strangers and is definitely in stride with the government’s war on drugs (marijuana) that sent many of these guys away to prison for a very long time, that now is not only legal but also encouraged. With the brand’s cultural equity in place, it’s sure to set a trend and may soon become as American as apple pie, which is a definite game changer.”
A Grammy-nominated hip-hop artist, Hussle named his first two mixtapes “The Marathon” (2010) and “The Marathon Continues” (2011).
