Jermaine Dupri Sues Sony Over Alleged Unpaid Mariah Carey, Usher Royalties

Jermaine Dupri wants Sony to face the music … filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over royalties he says never made it into his record label’s pockets.

According to a newly filed lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jermaine and his record label So So Def Recordings claim Sony underpaid and withheld royalties tied to a long list of hit albums — including projects involving Mariah Carey, Usher, Kris Kross, Jagged Edge, Bow Wow, and more.

Jermaine claims the issues didn’t come to light until 2023 … when he says Sony began issuing new and amended royalty statements. The suit says a 2025 audit uncovered years of alleged accounting errors, missing royalties, and previously unreported earnings … prompting So So Def to demand roughly $18 million.

He claims Sony failed to pay all the royalties owed on releases by Kris Kross, Xscape, Da Brat, and Jagged Edge … leaving So So Def millions short.

As for Mariah Carey and Usher, Jermaine claims Sony also underpaid royalties on projects he produced for the superstars, though the lawsuit says the full amount is still being calculated.

Jermaine and his companies are seeking at least $18 million in damages, plus potentially millions more in interest … claiming Sony spent decades underreporting and withholding royalties owed to So So Def.