(AllHipHop News) Members of veteran Hip-Hop group Poor Righteous Teachers claim they are due a boatload of money – from Sony Entertainment.
The Trenton-New Jersey-based group signed with Profile Records in 1989.
Shortly after inking their deal, Poor Righteous Teachers dropped one of hip-hop’s most enduring singles, “Rock Dis Funky Joint.”
Profile was eventually sold to Arista in 1997, thanks to hit records supplied by groups like PRT, Run-DMC, DJ Quik, Rob Base, and DJ EZ Rock and others.
But the rap group claims Profile, Arista and Sony have never paid them a penny for any of the four albums they recorded.
“Their conduct has been unjustified, continuing to cause plaintiff financial hardship, extreme anxiety and discomfort,” a lawyer for the group said.
Lawyers for Poor Righteous Teachers went after Sony for their money in 2009, but they claimed they were stonewalled.
Unfortunately, group members Tony D died in 2009, while Father Shaheed passed away in 2014, leaving main rappers Wise Intelligent and Culture Freedom left to fight for PRT’s royalties.
But the group maintains death is exactly what Sony wanted.
PRT claims Sony executives deliberately stonewall black artists by “delaying the resolution of disputes over intellectual property rights with artists of color who lack financial resources to create leveraged advantages, such as the ultimate death of such artists by attrition over time.”
To make matters worse, Sony continues to exploit PRT’s classic songs, including “Rock Dis Funky Joint,” on YouTube, Spotify, and other popular streaming platforms.
Sony is also making some money by the PRT classic, which was recently featured in Hulu’s “Wu-Tang Clan: An American Saga.”
Members of Poor Righteous Teachers are going after millions from Sony in damages for conversion, theft, copyright infringement, unjust enrichment, and negligence.
