Lil Wayne producer Darius “Deezle” Harrison is taking legal action against Universal Music Group (UMG) in Los Angeles over more than $3 million in unpaid royalties tied to his production work on Weezy’s Grammy-winning album Tha Carter III and Birdman’s Fast Money.
The Grammy-winning producer filed a lawsuit claiming UMG hasn’t paid him a dime in over ten years despite his credited work on hit records like “Lollipop,” “Mrs. Officer” and “Let the Beat Build.” According to the complaint, Deezle is owed a 4% royalty rate for each track he produced on Tha Carter III and 3% for his contributions to Fast Money. That case was settled in 2012, but the new complaint alleges UMG quietly stopped payments shortly after the agreement was reached.
The lawsuit also claims that UMG continues to benefit from the commercial success of the songs without honoring its contractual obligations. “The recordings in question are fully recouped, and over $3 million is owed to the plaintiffs,” the suit states.