Jay-Z Faces Lawsuit Over ‘Reasonable Doubt’ Album Royalty Payments
Another day, another Jay-Z lawsuit. This time around, however, the rap mogul is being sued over a lengthy Reasonable Doubt royalty dispute.
Although Jay's debut album was released over a decade ago, a man by the name of Raynard Herbert is ready to claim his stake in the album's earnings, TMZ reports. According to Herbert, who claims to be Jay's former business partner, he assisted Jigga in the mastering of the album and also secured the rappers distribution deal, in part with Roc-A-Fella records, back in 1995.
Herbert alleges that Hov assured him one percent of the album's profits in exchange for his efforts. Royalty payments are alleged to have been made between 1998 and 2008, at which point Herbert says he stopped getting checks in November of that year. In 2010, Herbert says he attempted to reach out to the Roc Nation CEO about the alleged missed payments but never heard back.
Eight years later, Herbert is now suing for those alleged skipped royalties, as well as damages and interest. In the suit, Herbert is also naming Dame Dash, Kareem Burke, Roc-A-Fella, and Roc Nation as having played a role in the matter. Herbert, who's accusing the named parties of breach of contract and unjust enrichment, apparently believes Jay acted with "malice" regarding the album royalties. Neither Jay-Z or his camp have yet to comment on the allegations.
Considering that Jay is currently overseas for the European leg of his on the On the Run II Tour with Beyoncé, he may be a little tied up at the moment. DJ Khaled, and Chloe x Halle will also be joining the lineup for the North American leg, which begins July 25 at the FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
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