The estate of Dr. Khalid Muhammad is targeting several hip-hop artists, including Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and more, as well as major record labels for allegedly using unlicensed samples of his words without payment. In turn, the estate is seeking $5 million per infringement in addition to the coverage of legal fees and a permanent injunction to halt further use, according to a new report from AllHipHop. They previously filed a similar lawsuit against 2Pac's estate over the 1996 song “White Man’z World.”
The attorney representing the estate, Malik Zulu Shabazz, said: “These lawsuits are not an attack on Public Enemy, Tupac’s family or D’Angelo. They are about accountability. The record labels and music corporations exploited Khalid Muhammad’s voice for profit, just like they’ve done to the Black artists whose songs featured him. Most of these artists don’t even own the rights to their own music. They’ve been exploited too.”
Among the songs in question are D’Angelo and The Vanguard’s “1000 Deaths,” as well as Public Enemy's “Night of the Living Baseheads," and more tracks by Ice Cube, Common, and Black Thought. The estate wants any documentation proving there were licensing or royalty agreements with Muhammad.
Who Was Khalid Muhammad?
Khalid Muhammad was a popular activist who served as a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam in the 1980s. Louis Farrakhan removed him from his position in the organization after an infamously controversial speech at Kean College in 1993. He died unexpectedly of a brain aneurysm in 2001 at the age of 53.
Shabazz further argued that Muhammad's contributions helped fundamentally shape the legacy of the records in question. “Khalid Muhammad should have received proper credit on these iconic records,” he said. “His legacy matters. These funds will be used to fulfill his mission through schools, books, training academies, and documentaries about his life and message.”
Shabazz concluded by targeting President Donald Trump. “Trump cut funding for African American institutions,” he concluded. “So, the family is building their own. This is about mission, not just money. The industry has profited off his words for decades. That era of exploitation ends now.”
