Jermaine Dupri Files $18 Million Lawsuit Against Sony Music Over Royalties
Legendary producer Jermaine Dupri has initiated legal action against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging systemic underpayment and royalty concealment.
Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri has filed a blistering lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment (SME), accusing the company of underpaying and concealing royalties tied to his extensive work with iconic artists including Mariah Carey, Usher, Kris Kross, Xscape, Bow Wow, and Da Brat.
The Atlanta-based producer and songwriter, widely recognized for shaping the definitive sound of Nineties hip-hop and R&B, claims that Sony Music knowingly violated contracts with him and his influential label, So So Def. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges that the company engaged in “contemptuous accounting practices” and is seeking at least $18 million in damages.
“Given the systemic pattern of underreporting royalties, failure of reporting royalties, and altering and/or updating statements to report previously earned royalties, [Sony Music Entertainment] has engaged in willful deceitful actions designed to harm plaintiffs in their business,” the 13-page complaint states.
In the case of Kris Kross, Dupri alleges that Sony hid royalties owed on the group’s catalog for more than two decades, keeping the funds in a separate accounting system unknown to the plaintiffs. Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that Sony knowingly concealed money owed from Jagged Edge’s 1997 album, The Jagged Era, and altered royalty statements dating back several years. An accounting audit conducted last year reportedly uncovered the millions owed to Dupri and his companies, So So Def Recordings and So So Def Productions.
Dupri, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, is described in the filing as a “mastermind” of the Southern hip-hop and R&B sound. The lawsuit highlights his massive commercial impact, noting that his work has generated over $200 million in gross revenue for the music industry. As the legal battle unfolds, the complaint suggests that the $18 million figure may only be the beginning, as the issue of unreported producer royalties likely extends to other artists associated with the So So Def and Sony Music deals.
Representatives for Sony Music did not immediately return requests for comment, and counsel for Dupri declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.