Imagine this: The year is 1997. Scientists have cloned Dolly the sheep, Hong Kong has gained independence from China, and 39 members of the cult Heaven’s Gate have committed a mass suicide based on the belief that they would be sent to heaven in a spaceship behind the Hale Bopp Comet.

Now, fast forward 21 years: The year is 2018. India has decriminalized homosexuality, the Boy Scouts of America announce they will be letting girls join the ranks, and Heaven’s Gate is suing rapper Lil Uzi Vert over album Eternal Atake for copyright infringement.

Heaven’s Gate has made many appearances in the media throughout the years, their most recent a lawsuit against one of the more popular rappers of our generation. The reason the lawsuit is grabbing the attention of media coverage is that, although Heaven’s Gate has been been mentioned in different artists’ songs and TV shows, it has not taken legal action until now. In the 2016 film Deadpool, Ryan Reynold’s character jokes that someone looks similar to Heaven’s Gate leader, Marshall Applewhite. Additionally, in Season 7 Episode 9 of American Horror Story, several characters discuss the way Heaven’s Gate committed mass suicide. Because the Lil Uzi Vert case is the first time Heaven’s Gate has gone out of their way to sue, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to learn more about the controversy.

I initiated an email thread under the name Kenneth Smith so that the organization could not spam me. The following is what they have given The Uproar permission to publish:

The media portrays those in your organization in a negative light. Is there anything you wish the media would clarify regarding Heaven’s Gate? – Kenny Smith

[The media suggests] that the students [the followers of the cult who committed suicide in 1997] were weak-minded and gullible when exactly the opposite was true.

Did the students have formal education, such as a college degree or anything of the sort? 

Many had college degrees.  Most were from professional backgrounds, such as nursing, law, and business, and several had worked in the service industry.  There were several students who concentrated on computer languages.  

Were there any members that felt it was unfair to be left behind, while others got to reach their desired place? 

Several e-mailers have brought this up and that kind of thinking is not even in our mind.  It seems to be a projection of what humans would feel.

What is your current member count? And do you plan to expand or increase your associates?

The Group came to an end in 1997.  There is no Group or members.

What the public understands is that your organization is accusing said rapper of copyright infringement and supposedly taking legal action. Can you confirm or deny any of this or provide more specific information as to how this issue is being handled?

We are waiting for [Lil Uzi Vert’s] response.

Even with the lawsuit against him, Lil Uzi Vert has done very little to change the cover art of Eternal Atake, only adjusting the copied image to appear as the logo without the words and not as the main focus any longer. 

You can hear the opinions of Somya Thakur, Nathan Stetson, Michael Taffe, and me on this topic in the first episode of the new Uproar podcast “Our Take.”