Dr Dre sues over unpaid Chronic royalties
LOS ANGELES, USA (AP) — Dr Dre sued the new iteration of Death Row Records on Thursday claiming the label failed to pay royalties and released a new version of his iconic album, The Chronic, without his permission.
Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, filed the suit in federal court in Los Angeles against Wide Awake Death Row Records and its parent companies.
Young has not been paid royalties on the original The Chronic album since he split with Death Row in 1996, the lawsuit states. The label, a one-time powerhouse of rap music artists, eventually fell into bankruptcy but was bought by WIide Awake and re-formed.
Young’s lawsuit claims his attorneys notified the new owners that he was owed royalties, but they have never paid him. He also claims the label issued The Chronic Re-Lit and a greatest hits collection without his permission or the proper rights. Wide Awake Death Row Records has also sold digital copies of The Chronic without having the proper rights, the lawsuit states.