Icelene Jones, the widow of Ol’ Dirty Bastard, filed a lawsuit against Wu-Tang Clan Productions on Tuesday, accusing the rap group of not paying ODB’s estate its corresponding royalties. She’s requesting the payment of $1 million, plus interest, in damages, as Variety reports.
Jones, an administrator for ODB’s estate, alleges in the New York-filed lawsuit that the estate for the late rapper — real name Russell Tyrone Jones — hadn’t been paid royalties for 10 years from 2011 and 2021. (Jones became an administrator for his estate in 2005, a year after ODB tragically died at age 35.)
“Despite its repeated efforts and requests, the Estate has been unable to obtain payments and accountings from Defendant under the Recording Agreement for the sale of Wu-Tang Clan Recordings and ODB recordings since at least 2011,” the filing alleges. The suit, however, claims that RZA sent Jones a check for $130,000 in July 2021, though without any accounting.
Jones’ filing also refers to a 1992 agreement between ODB and the Wu-Tang Clan in which ODB had 50 percent interest in the copyrights for the musical compositions and also of merchandise and videos with his likeness and name. (ODB appeared as a hologram during a Rock the Bells show in 2013.)
A rep for Wu-Tang Clan did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.
ODB spent several years in and out of jail before November 2004, when he died of a drug overdose at RZA’s recording studio in New York. He had missed several of the group’s performances over several months before his death.
Source: Read Full Article