Dre Launches Royalties Lawsuit Against Label

Rap legend Dr. Dre is suing the newly acquired Death Row Records over unpaid royalties stemming from his iconic 1992 album The Chronic.

Dre, real name Andre Young, filed a suit against the label at Los Angeles Federal Court on Thursday (11Feb10), claiming he has not received any further money from album sales since he left the company in 1996, and that the new owners of Death Row Records released a collectors' version of The Chronic, as well as a greatest hits record, without his consent.

Young's lawyer claims in the suit that Wideawake, part of music publisher EverGreen which acquired the assets of the label last year (09), did not have the correct rights to sell the album - because digital distribution was not part of his original contract back in the early 1990s.

In a statement, Young's lawyer Howard King says, "When it came to paying artist royalties and honouring limits on Dr Dre recordings that could be released, the "new" Death Row Records, to quote our client, 'forgot about Dre'. This lawsuit will make sure they remember".

The star is seeking unspecified damages of more than $75,000 for breachof contract, false advertising and trademark infringement.