14 DAY TRIAL // A short while back, after General Larry Platt, a 63-year-old rapper from Atlanta who appeared on American Idol general auditions, became an Internet phenomenon, word got out that he had no problem with the dozens of remixes and parodies of “Pants on the Ground” out there. That might soon change as his manager and producer are releasing the studio recording of the song without his consent, TMZ informs.
Minutes after the episode of American Idol in question aired, “Pants on the Ground” went viral. Dozens of remixes and parodies emerged, with stars like Jimmy Fallon and Brett Favre going on national television with their own rendition of the song Platt claims to have written when he was younger. The General himself professed to be touched by the wave of attention and said that he had not copyrighted the song, therefore could not make any money off it.
If that truly be the case, it would explain why his manager and his producer are taking the song out of the studio and releasing it officially as a single without his consent. “Good news for Gen. Larry Platt – ‘Pants on the Ground’ has finally been recorded in a studio. The bad news – the General has no idea it’s been released... and a conflict is brewing,” TMZ writes shortly after the official studio version of the catchy song made its way online.
“Larry’s former manager Jason Mills – who’s releasing the song to radio stations – tells us he doesn’t need Larry’s approval because Mills says it’s ‘promotional’ and not for profit... at least for now. Mills says he now represents the producer, Carlos Thornton (aka Los Vegas) and Mills claims the producer has the right to release the tune, without the General’s approval,” the same e-zine goes on to inform.
In the meanwhile, the General is basking in his new found fame, even hitting the red carpet at the Grammy Awards 2010 to perform – and make a statement by bringing a handful of belts too for those who still, well, wear “their pants on the ground.” Below is the official studio version of “Pants of the Ground.” Until something new comes up, enjoy it.