Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Music for $18 Million Over Unpaid Mariah Carey, Usher Royalties
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- Jermaine Dupri filed the $18 million suit against Sony Music Entertainment on Monday, alleging the company failed to properly pay royalties going back to a May 1992 label agreement with his So-So Def Entertainment imprint.
- Dupri's attorneys detailed a pattern of underreported royalties and retroactively updated statements, accusing SME of "willful deceitful actions designed to harm Plaintiffs" across numerous So-So Def production and producer royalty accounts.
- The suit cites specific shortfalls of $960,000 in unpaid producer royalties for Xscape's "Hummin' Comin' At 'Cha" and over $1 million for Da Brat's "Funkdafied," along with understated royalties tied to Carey, Usher, Bow Wow and others.
- Dupri claims he is owed more than $10 million in interest payments alone on unpaid royalties tied to Xscape, Kris Kross, Da Brat and additional catalog releases.
- Sony Music Entertainment declined to comment on the lawsuit, which seeks at least $18 million plus interest and attorney fees at a jury trial.
Why it matters: Dupri's complaint outlines a multi-decade alleged pattern of underreporting across major-label catalogs, with named shortfalls on Xscape and Da Brat alone totaling nearly $2 million. The $18 million ask comes stacked against claims of more than $10 million in interest owed, putting the focus on how Sony historically accounted for legacy producer royalties tied to some of hip-hop and R&B's biggest acts.
