Key Takeaways
- Lil Wayne said on the podcast ‘The Joint Venture Show’ with Craig Carton that the New York Yankees threatened legal action over Young Money's stacked "YM" logo because it looked too close to the team's interlocking "NY" mark.
- The old “YM” logo appeared on the door of his first condo in Miami when he was 19.
- Wayne said he did not fight the Yankees over the letter, calling the team "legends" and saying he simply changed his logo instead of continuing to use it.
Lil Wayne was once forced to redesign the Young Money logo because of the New York Yankees.
While reminiscing about his first condo in Miami with Craig Carton on The Joint Venture Show, Wayne recalled having the Young Money logo on his door, which clearly indicated who lived on that floor.
“Was the Young Money door one of the dumb expenses you had when you were 19?” Carton asked.
Wayne revealed the door was a gift, adding, “Before the Yankees sued me.”
The rapper said the Yankees believed his label’s “YM” logo “looked too much” like the interlocking “NY” logo that appears on the team’s hat and home jersey.
“They just sent me a cease and desist,” Wayne clarified. “And I had to stop using it…I just changed my logo.”
Looking back, Wayne said he respected the Yankees taking legal action against him.
“I felt more cooler getting a letter from the Yankees,” he added.
According to a 2021 article on the MLB’s website, the interlocking “NY” logo appeared on the NYPD’s Medal of Valor award, which was designed by Louis Tiffany, son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co.
NYPD officer John McDowell received the award after he was shot while trying to prevent the robbery of a saloon in 1877. McDowell managed to arrest one of the three individuals, despite being seriously wounded in the process.
The Yankees made its debut as the Highlanders in 1903, but the team did not start using the interlocking “NY” logo until 1909. The logo change may have come from team owner William “Big Bill” Devery, who happened to be a former NYPD chief, but it has never been confirmed.
Skip ahead to the five-minute mark in the video below to hear Wayne’s story.
