In an unexpected development, Dr. Khalid Muhammad’s estate has filed three federal lawsuits in California. The suits accuse major artists and record labels of exploiting the late activist’s speeches without consent, credit or compensation. Muhammad's estate is targeting names that include 2Pac, Public Enemy and D’Angelo.
“These lawsuits are not an attack on Public Enemy, Tupac’s family or D’Angelo,” said attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz, who represents the estate. “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.”
In a statement first provided to AllHipHop, Dr. Muhammad’s 79-year-old sister Gloria Valson broke her silence and called out the high-level executives she says manipulated her brother’s legacy for profit.
“This is about Tupac Shakur’s record label—the one run by Tom Whalley—the man who profited off my brother’s legacy while denying him the credit and compensation he deserved,” she stated. Valson referenced 2Pac’s 1996 track “White Man’z World,” which uses Muhammad’s voice in the intro.
“Let’s be clear,” she continued. “Tupac was murdered. And though his Makaveli album came out after his death, we know he would have wanted my brother, Dr. Khalid Muhammad, to be credited and paid for the use of his voice.”
Khalid Muhammad Lawsuit
The lawsuits also target D’Angelo’s 2014 track “1000 Deaths” and Public Enemy’s classic “Night of the Living Baseheads.” Both tracks use Muhammad’s words, and neither of those artists reportedly paid the family. “You want to talk about D’Angelo—with a name like Black Messiah, you should know better,” Valson added. “You took my brother’s voice, used a whole minute of his speech and never got permission. Not a second should’ve been used. You owe the family. Pay what you owe.”
Legal notices were previously sent to Ice Cube and Common, demanding proof of any licensing or royalty agreements involving Muhammad’s speeches. The estate seeks $5 million per instance of infringement, plus legal fees and a permanent injunction to stop further usage.
“What’s happened is disgraceful, plain and simple," Valson said. "We want to fix what’s been wrong for too long. We want justice and restitution, not just for our family but for the mission Khalid Muhammad lived and died for.” Valson also states that the estate intends to build a Black museum and institutions for Black studies. If successful, the payouts from these suits could result in the funds to begin such a large-scale project.
Dr. Khalid Muhammad was a controversial militant figure, known for his role as the main spokesman for the Nation of Islam in the early 1990s before becoming the national chairman of the New Black Panther Party in 1997. Despite his often inflammatory rhetoric, he has become immortalized in hip-hop history through the repeated use of his voice. He died in 2001, at the age of 53.
