Lil Wayne Producer Sues Universal Music Over Alleged $3M in Unpaid Royalties
Music producer Darius “Deezle” Harrison has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG), accusing the record label of failing to pay millions in royalties for his contributions to Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne’s Grammy-winning 2008 album.
Harrison, credited on six tracks from the multi-platinum project – including the chart-topping single Lollipop – alleges he is owed approximately $3 million in unpaid royalties dating back over a decade. According to the suit, filed in Los Angeles, the producer claims his contract with Cash Money Records guaranteed him a 4% royalty share on songs he worked on for the album.
The legal filing also references a separate 3% royalty agreement related to Harrison’s work on Birdman’s 2005 album Fast Money, which was also released under the Cash Money label.
This is not Harrison’s first royalty dispute. He previously sued Lil Wayne, Cash Money, and Young Money in 2011 over similar claims, though that case was settled out of court. Harrison says he began receiving payments from UMG around the time of the settlement, but those checks allegedly stopped soon after.
As of now, neither UMG nor representatives for Lil Wayne have commented publicly on the latest lawsuit.
The case adds to growing legal tensions involving UMG. The label is also embroiled in a separate high-profile dispute with Drake, who has accused UMG of defamation related to Kendrick Lamar’s diss track Not Like Us. In response, UMG has pushed back forcefully, describing Drake’s lawsuit as an attempt to undermine Lamar’s commercial success rather than address any defamatory content.
UMG attorneys recently stated: “Drake’s claims focus on a performance that didn’t include the alleged defamatory lyric, exposing the lawsuit as a reaction to artistic rivalry—not a legitimate legal grievance.”
Drake, a former Cash Money/Young Money artist, has not commented further since filing the suit.
