Swizz Beatz and Timbaland sold their Verzuz series to Triller in 2021, and, today, the producers have filed a lawsuit claiming the company still owes them $28 million, Billboard reports. In the complaint, the duo’s lawyers claim that Triller has failed to respond to demands for payment and have repeatedly defaulted in payment obligations.
The lawsuit claims that the duo received cash payments in January and April 2021, but a subsequent payment due in January 2022 never arrived. The musicians’ lawyers claim in the lawsuit that a new payment plan was agreed upon, but promised payments in March of this year and all subsequent months thereafter have not gone through. Pitchfork has reached out to Triller, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland’s respective representatives for comment.
When the news of the sale to Triller was announced, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland announced that a portion of their equity in Triller and Verzuz would go to all of the artists who had previously participated in Verzuz, including DMX, Alicia Keys, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross, Gucci Mane, Jeezy, RZA, Nelly, Brandy, Monica, Gladys Knight, T-Pain, Lil Jon, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and D’Angelo.
In 2021, Triller made headlines when Universal Music Group announced that it would pull its catalog from the shortform video app due to a royalty dispute. The songs were restored within months. The service has generated controversy over alleged late payments to fighters. A recent Washington Post article outlined allegations of inconsistent payments to Black influencers, which Triller has denied.
Revisit “The Case for Triller as a Music Discovery App” and “The Best and Worst of the Dipset and the Lox Verzuz Battle” on the Pitch.
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