Dr Dre Is Suing Death Row Records - Again

Dr. Dre is trying to investigate his former record company Death Row Records Inc. to find out how much the label owes him in unpaid royalties.

The rapper/producer believes he is owed money from sales of his records, and has already filed several lawsuits against the label.

The new suit centres round his 1992 debut album, ‘The Chronic’, which launched the label into the mainstream after its creation the previous year.

Dr. Dre, real name Andre Young, told the U.S Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles that he needs to determine the value of a claim for unpaid royalties accrued since the record label filed for bankruptcy in April 2006.

The doctor started Death Row with Marion “Suge” Knight, and held a 50% ownership stake. He initially gave the label rights to distribute ‘The Chronic’ in exchange for royalties. He gave up his ownership interest in 1996, but retained the right to receive royalties on recordings released before the agreement.

He is asking bankruptcy judges to order Death Row to hand over documents on February 29th, Billboard reports. They relate to contracts, revenue from the sale of his recordings and agreements to release his music on compilation albums.

Young is claiming these contracts are null and void as Death Row hasn’t lived up to the terms of the agreements.

With Knight in and out of jail, and best-selling artists like Dr. Dre. And Snoop Dogg departing, Death Row has struggled for years and now a court-appointed administrator controls its bankruptcy estate.