Dispute over royalties for Tupac songs

Death Row Records producer Daz Dillinger has filed a new lawsuit claiming he was not paid royalties for his work on Tupac Shakur's songs.

According to the lawsuit, published by Billboard, the dispute concerns revenue from more than a dozen songs that Dillinger co-wrote and produced.

Among them are five tracks from the 1996 album “All Eyez on Me,” which topped the Billboard 200 chart. These are the songs “Ambitionz az a Ridah,” “Skandalouz,” “Got My Mind Made Up,” “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” and “I Ain't Mad at Cha.”

Dillinger, whose real name is Delmar Arnaud, says he last claimed royalties in 2024, when he was paid $91.000 through Amaru Entertainment, the company that manages Shakur's music catalog and was founded by his mother, Afeni Shakur.

However, he claims that he was never provided with detailed financial reports that would confirm that amount, and believes that part of the income has still not been paid to him.

The lawsuit seeks a court order for full access to the earnings and licenses of all the songs he worked on, as well as payment of allegedly back royalties along with damages for breach of contract.

His lawyer told Billboard that he expects an "amicable resolution to the case."

Recall that in 2001, Afeni Shakur previously sued Dillinger for allegedly withholding and threatening to release unreleased Tupac material, and the dispute was resolved through an out-of-court settlement in 2002.