Jermaine Dupri files $18 million lawsuit against Sony Music over unpaid royalties

Veteran music producer and entrepreneur Jermaine Dupri has filed an $18 million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging the label giant systematically underpaid royalties connected to recordings by artists including Mariah Carey, Usher and several acts from his So So Def label.

The lawsuit, filed in the United States, claims Sony employed long-running accounting practices that deprived Dupri and his company, So So Def Recordings, of millions of dollars in royalty payments over more than three decades of business dealings.

Sony Music has not commented publicly on the allegations.

Dupri alleges decades of royalty underpayments

According to the complaint, Jermaine Dupri argues that Sony Music engaged in what his legal team described as a “systemic pattern” of improper accounting that resulted in royalty statements being understated or inaccurately calculated.

The producer claims the alleged discrepancies span recordings from several high-profile artists, including Kris Kross, Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat, J-Kwon, Bone Crusher, and his own releases, in addition to projects involving Carey and Usher.

The lawsuit seeks at least $18 million in damages, including interest, legal fees, and additional compensation to be determined during trial.

So So Def’s long partnership with Sony is under scrutiny

Jermaine Dupri founded So So Def Recordings in the early 1990s, launching the careers of several successful hip-hop and R&B acts.

The label initially operated in partnership with Sony Music before later entering distribution arrangements with other major music companies. In the lawsuit, Dupri argues that accounting issues occurred both during So So Def’s direct partnership with Sony and after the companies’ formal business relationship evolved.

His legal team contends that Sony Music repeatedly failed to properly calculate producer royalties and label earnings while allegedly maintaining inaccurate financial records.

Jermaine Dupri with Mariah Carey

Kris Kross and Xscape among key claims

A significant portion of the lawsuit focuses on royalties generated by Kris Kross, whose 1992 debut album Totally Krossed Out became a global commercial success.

Jermaine Dupri, who discovered and produced the duo, alleges Sony failed to report producer royalties from their earliest albums correctly, leaving him owed more than $2 million.

The complaint also raises questions over royalty accounting for Xscape.

Dupri claims Sony continues to classify the group as carrying substantial unrecouped advances despite the commercial success of multiple platinum-certified albums released decades ago.

According to the filing, maintaining those balances reduced royalty payments that otherwise should have been distributed.

Allegations extend to Mariah Carey and Usher’s releases

The lawsuit further alleges that royalty calculations connected to projects involving Mariah Carey and Usher may also have been understated. While exact figures tied to those recordings have not been disclosed, Dupri argues that accounting practices affecting those releases require additional examination.

His legal team also claims more than $10 million in accumulated interest is owed on unpaid royalties relating to multiple artists across the So So Def catalogue.

The complaint alleges Sony modified certain royalty statements after the fact while maintaining separate accounting systems for some artists, practices Dupri says concealed payment discrepancies.

Sony is yet to respond in court

Representatives for Sony Music have not publicly addressed the claims beyond confirming they had no immediate comment on the litigation. The case now moves into what could become a lengthy legal process involving financial audits, royalty statements, and contractual agreements dating back more than 30 years.

Industry observers note that royalty disputes have become increasingly common as artists, producers and songwriters revisit legacy recording contracts amid growing scrutiny over music accounting practices.

If the case proceeds to trial, it could shine a spotlight on how royalty calculations are handled across decades-old recording agreements involving some of the music industry’s biggest commercial successes.

For Jermaine Dupri, whose production career helped shape modern hip-hop and R&B through collaborations with some of the industry’s biggest names, the lawsuit represents an effort to recover what he believes are earnings that have remained unpaid for years while challenging accounting practices he alleges unfairly affected both his label and its artists.