Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def drops $18M royalty lawsuit against Sony Music after parties 'resolved the matter'

# What happened

Jermaine Dupri and his companies So So Def Recordings and So So Def Productions filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on August 28, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, ending an $18 million royalty lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment. The notice says the parties "resolved the matter prior to joinder." The dismissal is without prejudice, so the plaintiffs may bring the claims again.

# Background of the suit

Dupri and his So So Def companies sued Sony on July 6, 2026, alleging years of unpaid and underreported royalties tied to recordings Dupri produced or released through his long-standing relationship with the major label. The complaint cited a 32-year contractual relationship dating to a label agreement signed May 4, 1992.

The complaint named recordings and artists connected to So So Def, including Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Usher, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, J-Kwon, and Bone Crusher. Plaintiffs sought at least $18 million, more than $10 million in interest, attorneys' fees, and a jury trial.

# Specific allegations in the complaint

The suit includes several concrete accounting allegations:

• Kris Kross: Sony allegedly failed to report producer or override royalties on the first two Kris Kross albums, Totally Krossed Out (1992) and Da Bomb (1993), until 2023. The complaint says more than $2.2 million remained owed on those records alone and that foreign sales for Kris Kross exceeded $30 million on the account.

• Xscape: The filing alleges Sony underreported more than $960,000 in producer royalties on Xscape's 1993 debut Hummin' Comin' At 'Cha.

• Da Brat: The complaint claims Sony withheld more than $1 million on Da Brat's 1994 album Funkdafied.

• Production Share account: A So So Def Production Share account tied to Xscape's first two albums opened the period ending June 30, 2020, with a negative balance of $1,531,241.22. The complaint says the account generated more than $1 million in royalties between 2020 and 2024 but Sony continued to apply the negative balance and did not pass earnings through to So So Def.

# Public statements and next steps

In July, a Sony Music spokesperson characterized the matter as a royalty accounting dispute the parties were "actively engaged in attempting to resolve" and expressed disappointment that So So Def pursued litigation rather than continuing dialogue. The voluntary dismissal filing itself provides no details about any payments, timelines, or accounting changes agreed between the parties.

Because the dismissal is without prejudice, So So Def and Dupri retain the option to refile the lawsuit. MBW reported that Dupri's recordings and production work generated gross revenue of more than $200 million across the 32-year relationship with Sony, a figure cited in the complaint.

# Why it matters

The case centers on long-running royalty accounting practices and how legacy unrecouped balances are applied to subsequent earnings. The allegations are specific to named albums and accounts and were prompted by a third-party audit in 2025. The lack of disclosed settlement terms means questions about remediation and accounting reform remain unresolved publicly.