Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Hit With $27 Million Lawsuit
Having recently parted ways with founding member Krayzie Bone, Midwest rap legends Bone Thugs-n-Harmony are once again the subject of media attention, as they are being sued for $27 million by a former associate, Roland Brown.
The suit was filed Thursday (April 28), in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and in it, the group is being accused of breach of contract over unpaid songwriting royalties from the 1996 Bone spin-off Mo Thugs album, 'Mo Thugs Family Scriptures.' Brown claims that he was never paid for two songs on the platinum-selling album, "Take Your Time" and "Here With Me," both of which were performed by disbanded female R&B group Tre.
While it is unclear exactly what the plaintiff's contribution was, Brown is listed in the May 31, 1997 issue of Billboard Magazine as a songwriter on an extremely varied list of tracks, including 'In My Bed' by Dru Hill, 'Nothin' but the Cavi Hit' by Mack 10 & Tha Dogg Pound, and 'The Ultimate' by Artifacts.
According to the court documents, which AllHipHop.com has posted, Brown is seeking $24 million in compensatory damages and $3 million in quantum merit relief, a restitution in the absence of an agreement or binding contract, as well as mechanical royalties for the album and single, plus all future earnings.
In addition to the embattled Cleveland, Ohio rap group, Brown also names Sony, Ruthless Records, Relativity, Loud Records, WMG, Mo Thugs Inc.
Representatives for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony have yet to comment regarding to the lawsuit.