T-Pain, the Tallahassee-born artist whose legal name is Faheem Najm, has filed a new lawsuit in the United States against Konvict Entertainment, seeking $489,047 plus interest over unpaid royalties tied to a 2005 recording agreement.
The complaint, submitted to the Fulton County Superior Court, names Konvict Entertainment as the sole defendant. It runs 80 pages and follows a 2018 action that spanned 66 pages with attachments.
Contract and royalty terms#
Konvict signed T-Pain in 2005. After several contract modifications, the label allegedly agreed to pay the artist 75% of net royalties, according to the filing.
T-Pain released three projects through Konvict:
- Rappa Ternt Sanga (2005)
- Epiphany (2007)
- Three Ringz (2008)
The artist claims Konvict did not honor that royalty agreement.
Prior settlement and new payment#
A 2025 settlement ended the earlier complaint. Konvict reportedly paid T-Pain more than $110,000 to cover royalties owed through the end of 2024.
The new filing states that Sony Music’s Zomba, which also worked on the relevant albums, paid Konvict about $1.3 million in royalties from T-Pain’s releases at the close of March 2026.
T-Pain was allegedly instructed to collect the other half of that amount from BuVision, the label operated by Akon’s brother Abou “Bu” Thiam. The complaint alleges BuVision did not make the payment and Konvict did not resolve the issue afterward.
The filing demands $489,047 plus interest from Konvict Entertainment, which has not commented publicly on the case.
Other royalty litigation#
In July, Sony Music and the band Lit, known for “My Own Worst Enemy,” settled a streaming-focused court dispute. In August, the same major resolved a separate payments case brought by Jermaine Dupri and So So Def Recordings.
Other royalty cases involving decades-old agreements are still active between George Clinton and Universal Music, and between Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams.
