Snoop Dogg and Suge Knight are hip hop legends. They helped turn Death Row Records into one of the most iconic rap labels of all time. But a recent lawsuit alleges they didn't do it alone. A woman named Lydia Harris is suing Snoop and Suge. The woman alleges she invested $1.5 million in helping get Death Row Records off the ground in 1989. When the label became a money machine in the 1990s, however, Harris claims that she was not given any of the payment she was owed.
The lawsuit was filed March 17. Harris specifically named Snoop Dogg and Suge Knight in the Texas court documents. She alleged they have conspired to keep her from getting paid. Harris, who invested in the label with her husband, claims that she is owed a $107 million judgement. Snoop Dogg and Suge are not alone when it comes to Harris' ire, however. The woman, who identifies as a Death Row co-founder and original vice president, claims the two men have worked alongside other powerful industry figures to keep her shut out. The lawsuit claims Interscope Records and legendary music executive Jimmy Iovine are also responsible for withholding her rightful earnings.
Snoop Dogg Death Row Records
This is not the first time Lydia Harris has tried to get her money. She filed a lawsuit against Suge Knight and Death Records back in 2002. Three years later, Harris won the $107 million judgment after Knight's attorneys violated discovery rules. Unfortunately, she has yet to see a penny. Harris feels Snoop Dogg's purchase of Death Row Records in 2022 has led to additional complications. She believes the label has used "systematic misrepresentation and fraudulent telecommunications directed at the Plaintiff in Texas" to keep her in the dark.
The alleged Death Row co-founder is seeking punitive damages. She's also demanding a financial accounting and recovery of all assets that are owed to her dating back to the label's inception in 1989. The irony here is that Snoop Dogg and Suge Knight have spent the last few years arguing about the state of Death Row via social media. Knight claims Snoop has ruined the label by running out mediocre albums and underwhelming compilations. Snoop Dogg, on the other hand, claims Knight is jealous that he has purchased the label.
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