Pete Rock is preparing to file a lawsuit against Nas over unpaid royalties related to his production work on Illmatic.
Page Six reports the legendary producer claims he hasn’t been for his work on the Queens rapper’s 1994 debut album. Along with producing one of the LP’s most iconic cuts, “The World Is Yours,” Pete Rock also has a writing credit on the track.
“Nas and his people have stonewalled me since 1994,” Pete Rock told Page Six. “My New Year’s resolution is to be compensated for my hard work on Illmatic.”
Pete Rock’s legal team, which says the producer signed a contract that would allow him a portion of the royalties from “The World Is Yours,” a total which they believe is now in the millions of dollars, claim Nas has failed to honor the deal despite their constant demands. As a result, Rock and his legal team are preparing to file a lawsuit against Nas later this month.
In the 25 years since its release, “The World Is Yours” has been sampled on nearly 100 songs, including by rappers such as Eminem, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Mac Miller, Rick Ross, and more.
Since joining forces on Nas’ 1994 debut LP, the Queens rapper featured Pete Rock on a pair of tracks (“The Art Of It” and “Queensbridge Politics”) that wound up on his 2019 compilation album The Lost Tapes 2.
