Lawsuit: Jermaine Dupri Says Sony Owes Him Millions in Royalties
- A new lawsuit alleges Sony Music failed to properly pay Jermaine Dupri for decades of recordings, with the producer seeking more than $18 million in unpaid royalties and damages.
Grammy-winning producer Jermaine Dupri has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging the company underpaid him millions in royalties over the course of their decades-long business relationship.
According to the lawsuit, filed July 6, Dupri claims Sony owes him and his So So Def Recordings more than $18 million in unpaid royalties stemming from what he describes as a “systemic pattern” of underreporting earnings and failing to properly account for royalties. The complaint also alleges Sony altered royalty statements to reflect payments that should have been reported earlier.
Dupri founded So So Def Recordings in 1993 and helped launch the careers of artists including Bow Wow, Xscape, Da Brat and Kris Kross. He has also produced and written hits for Mariah Carey, Usher, Janet Jackson, TLC and Ludacris. The lawsuit claims recordings tied to Dupri and his label have generated more than $200 million in gross revenue.
The complaint states that Dupri first suspected royalty discrepancies in 2023 after reviewing payments for multiple releases dating back decades. Among the recordings cited are Xscape’s 1993 debut Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha, for which he claims nearly $960,000 is owed, and two Kris Kross albums that allegedly resulted in more than $2.2 million in unpaid royalties.
Dupri is also seeking royalties tied to releases by Carey, Usher, Bow Wow, J-Kwon, Bone Crusher and his own recordings, along with interest and attorneys’ fees.
An attorney for Dupri declined further comment, while Sony Music Entertainment had not publicly responded to the allegations. TMZ first reported the lawsuit.
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