Pete Rock to sue Nas over unpaid 'Illmatic' royalties
Groundbreaking hip-hop producer Pete Rock says that Nas hasn’t paid him a cent in royalties for his work on the rapper’s era-defining double-platinum album “Illmatic” — and he’s finally gearing up to sue, Page Six is told.
Rock and his attorneys claim that the Queens rapper — né Nasir Jones — signed a contract that would allow the producer a cut of the proceeds from the classic track “The World Is Yours,” a total that’s now in the millions of dollars.
And we’re told that lawyers for Rock — who has produced classics for A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr, among many others — have repeatedly demanded that Nas honor the alleged deal, to no avail.
Rock has a writing credit on the tune — the only single on the 1994 LP to have gone gold — produced it and even provided vocals.
Now we’re told Rock’s legal team is preparing to file a lawsuit in January, we’re told.
Rock told Page Six, “Nas and his people have stonewalled me since 1994; My New Year’s resolution is to be compensated for my hard work on ‘Illmatic.'”
The track is the song most sampled by hip-hop artists from Nas’ catalog, according to insiders. It has been sampled by Jay-Z, Eminem, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and the late Mac Miller.
The song was also used in the film “Antwoine Fisher,” directed by and starring Denzel Washington.
Apparently, Nas has a better relationship with other blue-chip producers who worked on the album. DJ Premier, who also produced tracks on “Illmatic,” guested on his track “Wave Gods” — which also features A$AP Rocky — from the surprise-dropped-on-Christmas album “Magic.”
Reps for Nas didn’t get back to us.
Groundbreaking hip-hop producer Pete Rock says that Nas hasn’t paid him a cent in royalties for his work on the rapper’s era-defining double-platinum album “Illmatic” — and he’s finally gearing up to sue, Page Six is told.
Rock and his attorneys claim that the Queens rapper — né Nasir Jones — signed a contract that would allow the producer a cut of the proceeds from the classic track “The World Is Yours,” a total that’s now in the millions of dollars.
And we’re told that lawyers for Rock — who has produced classics for A Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr, among many others — have repeatedly demanded that Nas honor the alleged deal, to no avail.
Rock has a writing credit on the tune — the only single on the 1994 LP to have gone gold — produced it and even provided vocals.
Now we’re told Rock’s legal team is preparing to file a lawsuit in January, we’re told.
Rock told Page Six, “Nas and his people have stonewalled me since 1994; My New Year’s resolution is to be compensated for my hard work on ‘Illmatic.'”
The track is the song most sampled by hip-hop artists from Nas’ catalog, according to insiders. It has been sampled by Jay-Z, Eminem, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and the late Mac Miller.
The song was also used in the film “Antwoine Fisher,” directed by and starring Denzel Washington.
Apparently, Nas has a better relationship with other blue-chip producers who worked on the album. DJ Premier, who also produced tracks on “Illmatic,” guested on his track “Wave Gods” — which also features A$AP Rocky — from the surprise-dropped-on-Christmas album “Magic.”
Reps for Nas didn’t get back to us.
