Jermaine Dupri is taking legal action against Sony Music, seeking $18 million over claims of unpaid royalties from the early 1990s.

On July 7, the founder of So So Def filed a lawsuit against the label, alleging breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of fair dealing. According to court documents, the lawsuit states that Dupri and So So Def initially signed a contract with Sony in 1992 and have entered into several agreements with them since.

“So So Def had a 32-year contractual and business relationship with [Sony],” the filing reads. “As it turns out, many of [Sony]’s dealings with So So Def have not been lawful and have harmed So So Def in its business.”

The Atlanta beatmaker claims he suspected he hadn’t received his full share of royalties in 2023 for his past work with artists like Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Usher, J-Kwon, Bone Crusher, and several others, and that this misconduct is ongoing.

He further asserts that he is owed more than $10 million in interest payments for So So Def artists such as Kriss Kross, Da Brat, Xscape, and others.

“Given the systemic pattern of (1) underreporting royalties (2) failure of reporting royalties and (3) altering and/or updating statements to report previously earned royalties, [Sony] has engaged in willful deceitful actions designed to harm Plaintiffs in their business,” the filing continues.

The Grammy-winning producer is requesting a jury trial and is seeking damages of no less than $18 million, along with interest and attorneys’ fees.