Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony for $18M Over Unpaid Royalties for Usher, Mariah Carey, and More

A 32-year business relationship in the music industry has officially landed in federal court. Legendary hip-hop and R&B producer Jermaine Dupri, alongside his iconic So So Def Recordings imprint, has filed a lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment.

The complaint, obtained by Billboard, seeks more than $18 million in damages for what Dupri alleges is a decades-long pattern of underpaid royalties and contract breaches. According to the filing, the massive discrepancies are far from a simple clerical error.

“As it turns out, many of SME’s dealings with So So Def have not been lawful and have harmed So So Def in its business,” the complaint states.

The legal battle covers some of the biggest R&B and hip-hop tracks of the 1990s and 2000s. Dupri claims that Sony systematically underreported and omitted royalty streams across his entire star-studded catalog.

The lawsuit explicitly names a roster of legendary artists whose So So Def-associated projects generated the disputed income, including: Usher, Mariah Carey, Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and Bow Wow.

The core of the lawsuit focuses on how Sony allegedly managed its accounting systems. The filing claims that when Dupri’s team began auditing and raising questions about missing funds, Sony went as far as altering and amending old accounting statements to cover up the gaps.

The complaint outlines several specific financial grievances, starting with the iconic rap duo Kris Kross. Dupri alleges that Sony hid producer and override royalties for the group’s first two multi-platinum albums, Totally Krossed Out and Da Bomb, in a separate, hidden accounting system for more than two decades. Because of this alleged concealment, the suit claims Sony owes more than $2.2 million for those two projects alone.

The label also claims Sony withheld over $1 million in royalties stemming from Da Brat’s landmark 1994 debut album, Funkdafied. Additionally, the lawsuit points to over $900,000 in missing funds for Xscape’s 1993 R&B classic, Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha, alleging that Sony improperly held a negative recoupment balance against the group despite the project’s platinum sales success.

Jermaine Dupri and So So Def have officially demanded a jury trial to settle the matter. Along with the $18 million in damages, the plaintiffs are seeking prejudgment interest and the coverage of their legal fees.

Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com

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