T-Pain sues Akon’s label over $489,000 royalties

American singer T-Pain has taken legal action against Konvict Entertainment, the record label founded by Senegalese-American singer Akon, over alleged unpaid royalties from his music catalogue.

The Grammy-winning singer, whose real name is Faheem Najm, is seeking $489,047 which he claims the label owes him in royalties generated from his recordings.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the 41-year-old filed the 80-page lawsuit at the Fulton County Superior Court on September 4.

According to the court documents, a distributor paid Konvict Entertainment, formerly known as Konvict Muzik, about $1.3 million in royalties earlier this year.

T-Pain alleged that despite the payment, he received only half of the royalties he was entitled to under their agreement.

He also accused the label of violating the terms of a settlement reached after an earlier legal dispute between both parties.

T-Pain had sued Konvict Entertainment in 2018, alleging that the label failed to pay an agreed advance connected to his album, Oblivion. The dispute was eventually settled last year.

The singer now claims that the terms of that settlement have been breached, leading to the latest lawsuit.

T-Pain’s relationship with Akon dates back to the beginning of his professional music career. After recording a personalised version of Akon’s hit song, Locked Up, the performance caught Akon’s attention and led to his signing with Konvict Muzik.

Under the label, T-Pain released his debut studio album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, in 2005.

The album featured successful singles including I’m Sprung and I’m ‘n Luv (Wit a Stripper), helping establish T-Pain as a major figure in R&B and hip-hop.