Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony for $18 Million Over Unpaid Royalties

Jermaine Dupri is suing Sony Music for $18 million over unpaid royalties dating back to the early 1990s.

On Tuesday (July 7), the So So Def head honcho filed suit against the label for breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of fair dealing, according to court documents obtained by XXL on Wednesday (July 8). The suit claims that JD and So So Def entered into a contract with Sony in 1992 and several more agreements since then.

“So So Def had a 32-year contractual and business relationship with [Sony],” the filing reads. “As it turns out, many of [Sony]’s dealings with So So Def have not been lawful and have harmed So So Def in its business.”

The Atlanta beatmaker alleges he suspected he had not been paid in full royalties in 2023 for past production for Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Usher, J-Kwon, Bone Crusher and others, and the misconduct has continued. He also claims that he is owed over $10 million in interest payments for So So Def artists Kriss Kross, Da Brat, Xscape and others.

“Given the systemic pattern of (1) underreporting royalties (2) failure of reporting royalties and (3) altering and/or updating statements to report previously earned royalties, [Sony] has engaged in willful deceitful actions designed to harm Plaintiffs in their business,” the filing continues.

The Grammy-winning producer is seeking a jury trial and no less than $18 million in damages, plus interest and attorneys’ fees.

XXL has reached out to Sony Music Entertainment for comment.