Our Minds Were Always Free

“There’s so much to admire in this perceptive book. Lively and smart, this is a must for music lovers.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“Davis paints a cohesive portrait of intellectual property theft as a key component of America’s anti-Black superstructure. Amid the rise of AI and new questions about who controls intellectual property, this is a unique and urgent contribution.” —Publishers Weekly

“Our Minds Were Always Free is a treatise on Black genius, a masterclass in intellectual property, and a history lesson on the intersection of creativity, capitalism and cultural exploitation. This should be required reading for every Black artist and creative.” — Michael Harriot, New York Times bestselling author of Black AF History

“‘Don’t be telling folks all my business,’ is an African American proverb. And I am so glad that Lisa Davis did not listen in this compelling book in which she tells all our business, quite literally. This is the story of how intellectual property law was wielded to steal the fruits of Black creative genius— and how Black artists, inventors, and entrepreneurs fought back— told through the eyes of one of our top Black entertainment attorneys. The story is riveting, and deeply insightful, both for the way it gives us our history anew, and for the lessons it teaches. The wisdom this book promises to impart will help shape the creators we become.”—Brittney Cooper New York Times bestselling author of Eloquent Rage

“Sobering yet ultimately uplifting, this meticulously researched work is a clear-eyed narrative of how the law has dealt with Black brilliance across generations.”—Loretta Lynch, 83rd Attorney General of the United States

“In Our Minds Were Always Free, Lisa brilliantly captures the plunder of black artistic and intellectual virtuosity, and the boundless creative elasticity necessary to perseverance through that shit to still be the shit.”—Damon Young, author of What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker

“My Hero Lisa E Davis has spent her career digging into the underbelly of intellectual property and cleaning up the mess. An unheralded force for over a quarter of a century. Her legacy is sealed with Our Minds Were Always Free, cutting through cultural confusion to reveal how so many millions got melted in the heat of the ‘so called beat.’”—Chuck D Public Enemy

Lisa E. Davis is a leading entertainment attorney and Chair of the Entertainment Group at Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz. She represents celebrities across film, television, publishing, music, theater, and sports.

Davis has received numerous accolades for her work, including:

• Ranked as a New York area “Super Lawyer” since 2007, and featured on the cover of Super Lawyers magazine.
• Recognized in Who’s Who Legal 2024.
• Included in Best Lawyers in America 2023–2025.
• Named one of Crain’s New York Business’s 2023 Notable Women in Law.
• Featured on The Hollywood Reporter’s Power Lawyers lists for New York’s Top 20 Entertainment Attorneys in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, and 2020.
• Recognized in Variety’s Legal Impact Report.

Her insights have been featured in publications such as Elle magazine, The New York Times, and Black Enterprise magazine.

Davis holds degrees from Harvard College and New York University School of Law. She previously clerked for the Honorable Constance Baker Motley in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

A sought-after speaker and panelist, Davis is a member of the New York City Bar and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association. She also maintains a political blog, Journal of the Plague Years.

Davis practices law in New York and resides in New Jersey with her family.

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