Steely & Clevie Royalties

 

Steely & Clevie are not currently entitled to royalties from reggaeton's dembow rhythm as a matter of law. Rather, they are seeking royalties through a copyright lawsuit, and whether they are legally entitled to them is still being decided by the courts. Their argument is based on three main claims: They created the original copyrighted backing track. In 1989, the Jamaican production duo created the instrumental "Fish Market." 

They argue that the now-famous “dembow” pattern is not just a generic drum beat, but a distinctive combination of percussion, bass, and rhythmic elements embodied in that recording. "Dem Bow" derives from "Fish Market." The 1990 Shabba Ranks song "Dem Bow," produced using Steely & Clevie's work, popularized the rhythm throughout dancehall. Later Jamaican, Panamanian, and Puerto Rican producers adapted versions of that backing track, helping give rise to reggaeton. Many reggaeton songs allegedly copied protected musical expression. 

The lawsuit argues that thousands of reggaeton tracks didn't merely adopt a musical style—they allegedly copied copyrightable elements of "Fish Market" through interpolation or derivative works without authorization. That's why the plaintiffs are seeking songwriting credit and royalties.The defendants disagree on a fundamental point. They argue that: a rhythm or groove by itself generally isn't copyrightable; the “dembow” rhythm became a genre convention rather than protected expression; and later reggaeton songs use the rhythmic idea without copying enough original expression from "Fish Market" to constitute infringement. 

This legal distinction is crucial. Copyright protects original expression, not abstract musical ideas or genres. The central question is whether Steely & Clevie's claimed "dembow" consists of a sufficiently original combination of musical elements that later works unlawfully copied, or whether it's an uncopyrightable rhythmic concept. As of 2026, a U.S. federal judge has ruled that there is enough conflicting expert testimony for a jury to decide these issues. The court has not ruled that Steely & Clevie own the “dembow” rhythm or are entitled to royalties; it has only determined that their claims are substantial enough to proceed to trial.