Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Music for $18 Million Over Unpaid So So Def Royalties

Jermaine Dupri is taking Sony Music Entertainment to court. According to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, July 7, and obtained by Billboard, the legendary Atlanta producer and his So So Def Recordings label are suing the music giant for more than $18 million in unpaid royalties. The legal complaint alleges a "systemic pattern" of "contemptuous accounting practices" designed to underpay the label for years. This is not a minor accounting glitch. The disputed funds are tied to some of the most lucrative catalogs in modern R&B history, including blockbuster albums from Usher and Mariah Carey. Dupri's legal team laid out the betrayal plainly in the filing, writing that "So-So Def had a 32-year contractual and business relationship with SME. As it turns out, many of SME’s dealings with So-So Def have not been lawful." Major labels treating historic catalogs like slush funds is the oldest, most exhausting story in the business. Sony relying on shady accounting to shortchange the architect of their late-90s and 2000s R&B dominance is particularly brazen. If a pioneer like Dupri can get locked out of $18 million of his own money, independent artists do not stand a chance. The industry cannot claim to respect its creators while actively hiding the revenue generated by their classic records. The lawsuit is now active in court, and representatives for Sony Music have yet to publicly comment on the pending litigation.