George Clinton, the Funk legend whose sound had a major influence on Hip Hop, is suing Universal Music Group (UMG) for $1.1 million in alleged unpaid royalties.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Clinton filed a complaint on Friday, May 15, in Detroit federal court, alleging that UMG has been withholding 100% of his royalties for more than three years due to the company’s involvement in a separate legal dispute filed by the estate of a former bandmate.
Clinton, the frontman of Parliament-Funkadelic, claims he is owed royalties under longstanding recording agreements covering music he recorded beginning in 1969 and extending into at least the 1990s. The disputed recordings include work released through multiple catalogs now controlled by UMG.
According to the lawsuit, UMG is withholding all of Clinton’s royalties because of a separate case involving the estate of late Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist and songwriter Bernie Worrell. Worrell’s estate alleges that Clinton deceived the musician and failed to share millions of dollars generated from dozens of their songs, including classics such as “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof of the Sucker),” “Flash Light,” and “Maggot Brain.”
Clinton argues that withholding 100% of his royalties across all accounts is excessive, contractually unauthorized, and a breach of both the binding agreements and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
George Clinton didn’t just pave the way for Funk artists—he helped shape Hip Hop as we know it. Artists such as Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, OutKast, Warren G, Public Enemy, and De La Soul, among others, all benefited from the sounds of Clinton and his Funk compadres through samples, collaborations, and inspiration.
In fact, Clinton’s influence was instrumental in the development of G-Funk, an entire subgenre of Hip Hop built on Parliament-Funkadelic’s signature sound.
Needless to say, we hope this situation gets resolved—and that George Clinton receives the money he’s allegedly owed.
