Following the legendary rapper's death at 59, major studios and music publishers are aggressively competing to acquire the underlying IP for making things go right, as well as the subsidiary rights to make it outta sight.
Following the Friday passing of legendary rapper Rob Base at 59, a fierce intellectual property frenzy has erupted across Hollywood, with major music publishers and streaming platforms locked in an eight-figure bidding war over the exclusive rights to make a thing go right.
Base, born Robert Ginyard, famously established the rigid two-person requirement for making a thing go right alongside his late collaborator DJ E-Z Rock in 1988. Industry insiders report that Primary Wave, Universal Music Publishing Group, and Sony Music are all aggressively circling the estate to acquire the underlying IP, hoping to leverage the foundational hip-hop directive into a multi-platform franchise. The highly sought-after package reportedly also includes the theatrical and merchandising rights to make it outta sight.
The underlying mandate is clear: it takes two. But in today's IP landscape, studios are asking if we can reboot that framework. Can it take three? Can we do a prequel where it takes one? The franchise potential for making things go right is virtually limitless.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Netflix has already put in a competitive offer for a ten-episode limited series exploring the structural necessity of taking two. Meanwhile, A24 is quietly developing a prestige psychological thriller about a deeply flawed protagonist who tragically attempts to make a thing go right all by himself, ultimately leading to a catastrophic failure of the thing.
The estate is currently being advised by a coalition of high-powered entertainment attorneys who are reportedly also untangling a complex web of rights issues surrounding the exact legal decibel level required to state, "I wanna rock right now." The late rapper's representation declined to comment on the pending deals, citing an ongoing commitment to keeping the scene strictly base.