Jermaine Dupri Lawsuit Against Sony Highlights Unpaid Royalties

Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Over Alleged Unpaid Mariah Carey, Usher Royalties

Jermaine Dupri has filed an $18 million lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging that the company failed to properly pay royalties for releases from Mariah Carey, Usher, Xscape, Kris Kross, and more. The suit claims that Dupri began to suspect that he had not been paid in full for royalties in 2023, and that misconduct had been discovered in the time since. Dupri’s attorneys outline a pattern of underreporting royalties and retroactively updating statements of previously earned royalties, accusing SME of engaging in “willful deceitful actions designed to harm Plaintiffs in their business.” The suit details a long pattern of unpaid royalties, including $960,000 in unpaid producer royalties for Xscape’s “Hummin’ Comin’ At ‘Cha” and over $1 million for Da Brat’s “Funkdafied,” and claims that Dupri is owed more than $10 million in interest payments for unpaid royalties relating to various artists. The suit is asking for no less than $18 million, as well as interest and attorney fees, as determined by a jury trial.

 Source: https://variety.com/2026/music/news/jermaine-dupri-sues-sony-music-mariah-carey-usher-royalties-1236803800