Tupac’s estate sued over ‘White Man’z World’ speech usage
The track allegedly uses excerpts from a speech of a prominent figure
Tupac Shakur’s hit track is now at the centre of a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.
The late rapper’s estate is being sued for allegedly using excerpts from Dr. Khalid Muhammad’s 1993 speech in the song White Man’z World.
Dr. Muhammad was a prominent figure in the New Black Panther Party and served as its National Chairman until his untimely passing in 2001 at the age of 53.
White Man’z World was written by Tupac and producer Darryl Harper and was part of the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory.
The album was released just weeks after Tupac’s tragic death in 1996 under his stage name, Makaveli.
Death Row Records and its founder Suge Knight are also named in the lawsuit along with Harper.
According to the lawsuit, the speech is an integral part of the song and instrumental to its success.
However, the lawsuit argues that Tupac used the seven lines of the excerpt without requesting a licence or providing courtesy.
The complaint further states that the song is still commercially using Dr. Muhammad’s words without paying any royalties.
The track is considered one of Tupac’s best works with the album debuting on the Billboard 200 chart and being certified platinum four times by the late ’90s.
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