In a legal symphony, DJ Master Tee, known as Terence Thomas, is taking center stage in a lawsuit against producer Tony D. Pizarro, Interscope Records, and Universal Music Group (UMG) over the iconic 2Pac hit “Dear Mama.” Master Tee accuses Pizarro of conspiring with the record labels to misappropriate his publishing and master recording copyrights, claiming Pizarro assumed the identity of the song’s writer and publisher.
The lawsuit unfolds with Master Tee, a bus driver in New York City for the past 26 years, realizing he was owed publishing royalties only after watching the “Dear Mama” Hulu series this year. The complaint emphasizes that Thomas, not considered a sophisticated business person, was unaware of the discrepancy until recently, stating, “Master Tee did not until very recently appreciate that the royalties which he was deriving from BMI were actually much less than he should have been receiving.”
The legal drama stems from the 1993 collaboration between Master Tee and Tupac Shakur, leading to the creation of the iconic hip-hop song. The lawsuit includes a 1996 interview where Tupac credits Master Tee for the beat and a handwritten note allegedly by Shakur listing Master Tee as a producer on the song.
The complaint outlines Pizarro’s alleged unilateral changes to the master recording of “Dear Mama” without consent from Master Tee while Tupac was incarcerated. Master Tee seeks co-writer and co-publisher recognition, an injunction to halt royalty collection, and monetary compensation for alleged copyright infringement, unjust enrichment, and theft of intellectual property.
Beyond the music realm, the legal composition involves The Walt Disney Company, Hulu, Fox Entertainment, FX Networks, NBC Universal, El Matador, director Allen Hughes, and the Tupac Shakur Estate’s publishing company, Joshua’s Dream Music, due to their involvement in the “Dear Mama” series.
As the legal notes echo, Master Tee aims to reclaim his rightful place in the creation of “Dear Mama,” demanding recognition, justice, and financial reparation in this legal crescendo surrounding one of hip-hop’s timeless tracks.
