Jermaine Dupri Files $18 Million Breach of Contract Suit Against Sony Over Alleged Unpaid Royalties

Rachel DeSantisTue, July 7, 2026 at 5:27 PM UTC

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Jermaine Dupri in Beverly Hills, Calif. in June 2026.Credit: Jerritt Clark/Getty -

Jermaine Dupri is suing Sony Music Entertainment for $18 million in unpaid royalties, alleging “deceitful” actions by the company

Dupri claims Sony underreported royalties for decades, including for hits by Xscape, Kris Kross, Mariah Carey, and Usher

The Grammy-winning producer founded So-So Def Recordings in 1993

Grammy-winning hip-hop producer Jermaine Dupri has filed a breach of contract suit against Sony Music Entertainment, alleging he is owed $18 million in unpaid royalties due to the company’s “deceitful actions.”

Dupri, 53, founded the label So-So Def Recordings in 1993, and has helped kickstart the careers of artists like Bow Wow, Xscape, Da Brat and 3LW, according to the July 6 filing, which was obtained by PEOPLE. He’s also known for his work with stars like Mariah Carey, Usher, Ludacris, TLC and Janet Jackson.

The complaint claims that his So-So Def recordings and the songs he’s produced have made over $200 million in gross revenue — but that in the 30+ years of doing business together, Sony has shown a “systemic pattern” of underreporting and failing to report royalties, and altering and updating statements to report previously earned royalties.

“[Sony Music Entertainment] intentionally failed to account to Plaintiffs to avoid paying millions of dollars to the Plaintiffs,” the filing alleges.

An attorney for Dupri declined to comment further, and a rep for Sony did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. TMZ was first to report the lawsuit.

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Mariah Carey in New York City in April 2026; Usher in Paris in January 2026.Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Aurore Marechal/Getty

The complaint alleges that Dupri and his label first entered into a contract with Sony in 1992, and that the agreements were and modified at least seven times between signing and 2006.

Dupri and So-So Def “began to suspect” in 2023 that Sony hadn’t paid them all of the royalties they were due “for multiple releases over a substantial period of time,” according to the complaint.

The recordings involved include Xscape’s 1993 record Hummin’ Comin’ at ‘Cha, for which Dupri claims he’s owed $960,000, and two Kris Kross albums, for which Dupri says Sony kept $2.2 million from him.

In total, Dupri claims he is owed $18 million in royalties from Sony, citing additional albums released by artists like Carey, Usher, Bow Wow, J-Kwon, Dupri himself and Bone Crusher. He is also seeking interest and attorneys’ fees.

Dupri is a 12-time Grammy nominee, and won Best R&B Song in 2006 for co-writing Carey’s “We Belong Together” with the star and Johntá Austin.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”