Former music producer, Terence “Master Tee” Thomas, is seeking financial recompense for his alleged involvement in the creation of Tupac Shakur’s landmark song “Dear Mama”.
It has been alleged that Universal Music Group’s Tony D. Pizarro concealed the true extent of Thomas’ involvement in order to avoid awarding him any further royalties.
Thomas, who is seeking damages for alleged copyright infringement, theft of intellectual property, and unjust enrichment has issued proceedings against a number of defendants including Hulu, FX Networks, Disney, and Pizarro. In addition to the aforementioned damages, Thomas is also seeking a declaration confirming his involvement as a co-writer and co-publisher alongside the royalties which he claims to be owed. Further to his acknowledged role as a producer of the triple-platinum song, Dear Mama, he also claims to have been involved in both the writing and publishing processes. Thomas claims this is supported by a 1996 MTV interview, in which Tupac stated “Master Tee gave me the beat”.
It is reported that the release of Hulu’s ‘Dear Mama’ docuseries earlier this year encouraged Thomas to investigate the copyrights in the song after he was not contacted regarding its creation. It is to be seen if Master Tee did in fact give Tupac the beat.
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