Jermaine Dupri took one of the music industry’s biggest players to court with allegations that millions of dollars in royalties never reached his company. The legendary producer claimed Sony underpaid and withheld earnings tied to some of the biggest releases from So So Def Recordings, including projects involving Mariah Carey, Usher, Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat, and Jagged Edge.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleged that the royalty discrepancies stretched back decades. Dupri and his companies sought at least $18 million in damages, plus interest and additional relief, arguing that years of inaccurate accounting left So So Def shortchanged despite generating hundreds of millions in revenue.
Jermaine Dupri claimed Sony underreported royalties tied to So So Def’s biggest hits
According to TMZ, Dupri alleged the problems only came to light in 2023 after Sony issued amended royalty statements. The lawsuit claimed a 2025 audit uncovered years of accounting errors, missing royalties, and previously unreported earnings, prompting So So Def to demand roughly $18 million.
The filing alleged that Sony failed to pay all royalties owed on albums by Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, and other artists. It also claimed royalty payments connected to projects Dupri produced for Mariah Carey and Usher had been underpaid, although the full amount allegedly remained under review.
The complaint painted a grim picture of the longtime business relationship.
“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 lawsuit stated, according to AllHipHop.
The filing devoted particular attention to Kris Kross. According to AllHipHop, Dupri alleged Sony failed to report producer and override royalties tied to Totally Krossed Out and Da Bomb for years, claiming more than $2.2 million remained unpaid from those albums alone.
The lawsuit further alleged that Sony maintained a separate accounting system that concealed those earnings.
“SME attempted to conceal all Kris Kross royalties due Plaintiffs for over 20 years in a separate royalty accounting system unknown to Plaintiffs,” the complaint stated, according to AllHipHop.
Dupri also challenged Sony’s accounting for Xscape, Da Brat, and Jagged Edge. The lawsuit claimed Xscape’s platinum-selling albums continued carrying an unexplained negative balance years later, while amended statements for Jagged Edge allegedly failed to account for earlier royalty periods.
According to the complaint, So So Def’s production work generated more than $200 million in gross revenue over three decades. Dupri, So So Def Recordings, and So So Def Productions requested a jury trial, at least $18 million in damages, attorneys’ fees, and additional interest. Sony had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of filing.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK MORE ARTISTS WILL BEGIN CHALLENGING RECORD LABEL ROYALTY PRACTICES IN COURT?
