I need your help to defend my right to tell the truth.

My name is Lo-Fang (Matthew Jordan Hemerlein) and I'm an artist who signed a license deal with Beggars Group's 4AD label in 2013 for my Debut Album "Blue Film".

What I experienced—and what they knew—is now documented at Beggars.AI.

What happened:

When I told the label I would eventually sign with them, I was living through something I later found documented: a film industry employee became my landlord and coerced me sexually while demanding executive producer credit on my work Blue Film. She held nude photos of me.

I made her delete them, photographed evidence as insurance when I escaped, and told my label what I was going through—the coercion, the attempted credit grab, the intimate material used as leverage. They knew the circumstances of my signing. My own lawyer's firm represented both sides.

I also had knowledge of affairs between label staff and information shared by a former intern.

Once they knew, everything changed:

Lyrics about my grandmother's melanoma were censored. Full compositions cut. Artwork and videos overruled. Synch approvals processed without me. My streaming royalties were arbitrarily reduced from 30% to 25%.

Even after the Chanel No. 5 placement—a $250,000 synch, one of the largest worldwide that year—momentum was killed when Beggars terminated the deal weeks after my Every Night EP release and the Chanel piece was live worldwide.

July 2025: After a violent assault left me with serious injuries, I requested early payment of €2,600 in royalties owed to cover medical treatment. In the process of selling my Roth Cello (15K) and Orpheum Kay Guitar (1,500)

August 2025: They advanced €2,600.

After I published Beggars.AI with documentary evidence, I'm now classified as unrecouped by €400—the royalties were less than the advance.

September 17-18, 2025: Beggars filed with WIPO to take Beggars.AI from me.

Why this matters:

This case isn't just about me. It's about whether artists can document exploitation without corporations using legal systems to silence them. If Beggars succeeds, it sends a message: speak up about abuse and we'll erase your platform. If we win, it shows that truth-telling can't be bought or buried.

How funds will be used:

Every dollar goes directly to legal defense:

• €200: Legal representation fees

• $2,000 USD: Three-panel WIPO committee filing fee

• Total needed: $2,200 USD (approximately €2,100 / £1,900)

A three-panel committee is essential—it provides a fair hearing rather than a single panelist who might favor corporate interests.

Any funds raised beyond the goal will support additional legal costs if the case escalates and archiving the evidence for public access.

Full transparency: I'll provide receipts showing exactly how funds are used.

Response deadline: October 13, 2025

Thank you to everyone who shares, donates, or simply believes that artists deserve better. This fight is bigger than one domain. It's about whether truth can survive when corporations have all the power.

Links:

• Beggars.AI (full documentation)

• Instagram: @lo_fang

• Website: lo-fang.com

• Label: YS3.Agency