T-Pain Sues Akon’s Konvict Entertainment Over $489,000 Royalty Dispute

American singer and rapper T-Pain has taken Akon’s Konvict Entertainment back to court, alleging that the record label still owes him $489,047 in royalties from his music.

T-Pain, whose real name is Faheem Rashad Najm, filed the new lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court in Georgia on September 4, accusing Konvict Entertainment of breaching both his 2005 recording agreement and a settlement reached between the parties in 2025.

The latest dispute centres on more than $1.3 million in royalties that Konvict Entertainment allegedly received from a distributor in March 2026 for sales of T-Pain’s music generated during the second half of 2025.

According to the lawsuit, the singer’s recording agreement entitles him to 75 per cent of the net royalties Konvict receives from distributors for his recordings.

T-Pain alleges that Konvict received $1,304,127 from the distributor but that part of the money was transferred to BuVision, an affiliate label managed by Akon’s younger brother, Abou “Bu” Thiam.

The singer said Konvict subsequently paid him $489,047 in June but maintains that the amount represented only half of what he was entitled to receive.

He further alleges that his representatives were directed to pursue the outstanding balance from BuVision. However, according to the complaint, attempts to recover the money were unsuccessful.

The latest legal battle revives a dispute that has stretched for years.

In 2018, T-Pain sued Konvict Entertainment over alleged unpaid money connected to his fifth studio album, Oblivion. He sought at least $400,000, alongside an accounting of royalties allegedly owed under his recording agreement.

The dispute continued through years of mediation before the parties settled in 2025. Under the agreement, Konvict agreed to pay T-Pain $114,000, covering royalties collected through the end of 2024, while denying liability.

T-Pain now argues that the royalties at the centre of the latest case relate to music sales from the latter half of 2025 and are therefore separate from the previous settlement.

He is seeking the remaining $489,047.76, as well as prejudgment interest and legal fees, according to reports on the filing.

The singer also told the court that he received separate royalty payments directly from the distributor for Freaknik: The Musical.

The new lawsuit does not name Akon personally as a defendant. Konvict Entertainment is the sole defendant, and neither the label nor T-Pain’s lawyers had responded to requests for comment at the time of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s report.

The case highlights the long-running complexities surrounding recording contracts, royalty accounting and the financial rights of artistes whose music continues generating revenue years after its release.

For T-Pain, the latest filing marks the second time he has taken his former label to court over payments he says are due under their long-standing recording relationship.