2Pac‘s estate is being sued over the late rapper’s use of a speech by former Nation of Islam minister Khalid Abdul Muhammad.
Muhammad, who passed away in 2001, was featured on ‘Pac’s posthumous song “White Man’z World” from the album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory in 1996.
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The song made use of a speech Muhammad gave in 1993, which the late minister’s family say was copyrighted.
‘Pac used a small section of the speech in which Muhammad says: “You’re out of touch with reality! There are a few of you in a few smoke-filled rooms. Calling that the mainstream, while the masses of the people. White and black, red, yellow and brown, poor and vulnerable are suffering in this nation.”
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The lawsuit has been filed against 2Pac’s estate, as well as former Death Row Records head Suge Knight, the label’s distributors Interscope and Universal and the song’s credited producer Darryl “Big D” Harper, according to AllHipHop.
The complaint claims that ‘Pac never sought to license the speech, accredited Muhammad or paid renumeration for its use. The song remains available on streaming services as of this writing.
Muhammad’s estate is seeking $5 million, with its lawyer Malik Z. Shabazz saying in a statement: “His presence on ‘White Manz World’ reinforces Tupac Shakur’s role as not just an artist, but as a voice for Black empowerment and resistance against oppression.
“At a time when Hip Hop was a leading force in shaping political discourse among Black youth, Dr. Khallid’s inclusion gave ‘White Manz World’ an undeniable authenticity, elevating it beyond music into a revolutionary message against racial injustice.”
2Pac’s estate, as well as the other defendants, have yet to respond to the lawsuit.
At the height of his fame in the 1990s, Muhammad made appearances on several other high-profile Hip Hop albums.
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He was quoted by Public Enemy and featured on two Ice Cube albums where he made various controversial statements.
On Cube’s Lethal Injection cut “Cave Bitch,” he made disparaging remarks about white women: “No stringy haired, blonde hair, blue eyed / Pale skinned, buttermilk complexion / Grafted, recessive, depressive / Ironing board backside, straight up, straight down / No frills, no thrills, Miss six o’clock / Subject to have the itch / Mutanoid, caucazoid, white cave bitch!”
