The show’s celebration of New York’s music scene is not so jovial.

Rap pioneer Kool Herc is suing HBO’s Vinyl for use of his name, voice and likeness without permission. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Herc was offered $10,000 and a consulting credits to waive his life rights, which he turned down. As THR points out, it’s possible the offer could hinder HBO in court, as it made Herc, born Clive Campbell, more aware of his legal options. (Read his full complaint here.)

“It’s beyond us why HBO and the producers of Vinyl, a successful show about artists and music, would hurt an artist like Herc who has contributed so much to the music industry,” says Taso Pardalis, Herc’s attorney. But a representative for HBO says: “We are confident there is no validity to the claims.”

But celebrating Herc’s contributions to the genre haven’t been all negative this year. Back in January, New York mayor Bill de Blasio renamed a street in The Bronx that was the location of his 1973 back to school jam, a party long regarded as hip-hop’s inception point, Hip-Hope Boulevard.