Darius “Deezle” Harrison, the Grammy-winning producer behind Lil Wayne’s chart-topping hit “Lollipop,” is taking Universal Music Group (UMG) to court, claiming they owe him $3 million in unpaid royalties.
According to the lawsuit, Deezle helped shape the sound of Wayne’s 2008 multi-platinum album “Tha Carter III,” producing six tracks including the Billboard No. 1 single.
Per his contract with Cash Money Records, Deezle says he’s supposed to receive a 4% royalty on all the songs he worked on for “Tha Carter III.” On top of that, he claims a second deal entitles him to 3% royalties for work he did on Birdman’s “Fast Money” album in 2005.
Deezle previously took Wayne, Cash Money, and Young Money to court in 2011 over similar royalty issues. That case was settled, and Harrison says UMG began sending royalty checks in 2012, only to stop again shortly after.
Neither UMG nor Lil Wayne has commented publicly on the latest lawsuit.
Meanwhile, UMG is already battling another high-profile legal firestorm from Drake, who’s suing them for allegedly promoting Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” UMG hit back hard, stating, “Drake’s attack on the commercial and creative success of the rap artist who defeated him” has no legal merit.
