The estate of the famous rapper Tupac Shakur is now facing a $5 million lawsuit. The legal action comes from the estate of Dr. Khallid Abdul Muhammad. It claims that Tupac’s 1996 song ‘White Man’z World‘ used a part of Muhammad’s speech without permission or credit.
Tupac Shakur, a rap legend killed in 1996, included ‘White Man’z World’ on his album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. This song delivers a strong message about racial unfairness and the fight for Black empowerment. The lawsuit says it contains a seven-line piece from a speech Muhammad gave in 1993 at the ‘Black Holocaust Nationhood Conference.’ Muhammad was a key leader in the Nation of Islam and later the New Black Panther Party. He was well-known for speaking out on Black rights.
In the song, the sampled lines say, ‘We must fight for brother Mumia / We must fight for brother Mutulu / And we must fight for brother Ruchell Magee.’ These words urge support for political prisoners. The lawsuit states that Tupac’s team never asked for a license to use this speech. They also failed to credit Muhammad or pay his estate. Even today, the song earns money on streaming services and through other uses.
This legal battle names several parties besides Tupac’s estate. It also targets Suge Knight, who used to run Death Row Records, along with Interscope Records, Death Row Records, Universal’s publishing group, and producer Darryl ‘Big D’ Harper. Muhammad’s estate argues that his voice gave the song a real and emotional boost to its message about resisting racial injustice. They say this unauthorized use breaks copyright rules.
The estate wants at least $5 million to cover damages. They also ask for a court order to stop further use of Muhammad’s voice in the song. On top of that, they seek money for lawyer fees and the seizure of any materials that break the law.
So far, Tupac’s estate and the other named parties have not made any public statements. The song is still out there on streaming platforms, showing it’s still being used commercially. Lawsuits over sampling like this happen often in the music world. Artists and their estates have to deal with tricky legal rules to make sure all samples are approved and credited properly.
The speech literally mentions “Mutulu” who is Mutulu Shakur, Tupacs step father and mentor.
Khallid Abdul Muhammad Is literally naming people who helped raise Tupac and shape his politics, and that’s why it’s in the song.
Seems a bit sinister to sue now 29 years later when the artist himself had a personal connection to it.
Agreed