Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Sues Sony Music for $18m over Alleged Unpaid Royalties on Kris Kross, Xscape, Mariah Carey and Usher Records
A 2025 audit found alleged underreported royalties across decades of So So Def releases, and Dupri is seeking at least $18 million in damages.
- On Monday, music producer Jermaine Dupri filed a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court against Sony Music Entertainment, seeking at least $18 million in damages for alleged unpaid royalties spanning a 34-year business relationship.
- Suspicions regarding royalty payments emerged in 2023 after Sony issued amended statements, but a 2025 desk audit by forensic accounting firm Gelfand, Rennert and Feldman substantiated concerns, uncovering missing royalties and accounting irregularities.
- The complaint highlights specific shortfalls, including more than $960,000 for Xscape's 1993 album "Hummin' Comin' At 'Cha," over $1 million for Da Brat's "Funkdafied," and more than $2.2 million in concealed Kris Kross royalties.
- Sony Music Entertainment provided "no comment" regarding the allegations, while the lawsuit claims the company engaged in "willful deceitful actions designed to harm Plaintiffs in their business" through a separate accounting system.
- Similar audits have prompted other legacy acts to challenge historic royalty statements in recent years, suggesting this dispute could have wider implications for the music industry regarding label-artist financial relationships.
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33 Articles
Jermaine Dupri Takes Sony to Court for Withholding Over 30 Years Worth of Royalties
Imagine helping create some of the most important songs of the last 30 years and getting underpaid for it. That’s why A Tribe Called Quest reminded us on “Check The Rhime”: “Industry rule number four-thousand-and-eighty/Record company people are shady.” Jermaine Dupri is experiencing this firsthand in his new battle with Sony. The So So Def […] The post Jermaine Dupri Takes Sony to Court for Withholding Over 30 Years Worth of Royalties appeared …
Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Music Entertainment Over Unpaid Royalties
Jermaine Dupri filed a lawsuit this week against Sony Music Entertainment, claiming that the company owes him millions in unpaid royalties. According to Jermaine Dupri, Sony Music owes him over $18 million in royalties connected to Mariah Carey, Usher, and other artists. Billboard was the first to report on the filing, which was made by Jermaine Dupri on July 7, naming the producer’s So-So Def Recordings in the claim and calling into question So…
Prominent Music Producer Sues Sony For $18 Million Alleges They Swindled Mariah Carey, Usher Out Of Royalties
Jermaine Dupri, one of the most influential producers of hip hop and R&B music, filed an $18 million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment (SME).
Jermaine Dupri Files a $18 Million Breach of Contract Lawsuit Against Sony
Grammy-winning hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri has sued Sony Music Entertainment for breach of contract, claiming that the company’s “deceitful actions” have left him owed $18 million in unpaid royalties. According to the July 6 document that PEOPLE was able to access, Dupri, 53, formed the label So-So Def Recordings in 1993 and helped launch the careers of musicians including Bow Wow, Xscape, Da Brat, and 3LW. Additionally, he is well-known for…
Jermaine Dupri sues Sony for $18 million in unpaid royalties
Producer Jermaine Dupri filed an $18 million lawsuit on Monday against Sony Music Entertainment (SME), claiming that the company has been underpaying him for over 30 years. Dupri accused SME of unlawful practices beginning in May 1992, the month he first partnered with the company through his imprint So So Def Recordings. During his time with the label, Dupri worked with Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Usher, Da Brat, Kriss Kross, and Xscape. His represe…
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