R&B star Nate Dogg (you might wish to argue that he actually sits in the hip hop camp rather than the R&B room, but he sings rather than raps, hence the R&B tag) is going to court in a bid to stop bankrupt Death Row Records boss Suge Knight from discharging (ie cancelling) the $10 million debt which he allegedly owes the singer in back royalties.
This is all a bit confusing, so bear with me while I try to figure it out. Hmmmm... No, still a bit confused. Though I suspect the issue here is that Nate, real name Nathaniel Hale, had something of a confusing relationship with Death Row Records, which is why he was not listed in the label's bankruptcy papers, why he was not aware that he needed to make a claim against the company by last September, and why he is worried Knight is going to legally put his past business affairs behind him without reference or concern to monies owed to him. Hale can't actually remember if he ever had contractual relations with Knight, or Death Row, or one of Knight's other companies, but he knows that Death Row has earned considerable revenues from his music over the years, and that a big chunk of that should have been paid on to him.
In the legal papers seeking a court judgment that ensures his interests are considered in Knight's ongoing bankruptcy, Hale claims that when he has approached Knight personally regarding unpaid royalties the hip hop mogul has responded with false promises, denials or, on occasion, threats of physical violence. He's a lovely bloke, isn't he?
As previously reported, Knight filed for bankruptcy after he failed to honour a court ruling against him to pay fellow Death Row founder Lydia Harris her claimed share of the company's profits.