MF DOOM‘s estate has filed a lawsuit against a former Stones Throw collaborator for allegedly stealing 31 of the rapper’s rhyme books.
According to Billboard, DOOM’s widow Jasmine Dumile Thompson has sued ex-label executive Eothen “Egon” Alapatt over the notebooks. The lawsuit was filed on Tuesday (October 24) with the California court system.
The missing books in question reportedly contained written lyrics for tracks from Operation Doomsday, Madvillainy and MM…FOOD as well as other unreleased content.
Thompson previously called out Egon over the missing notebooks in an Instagram post under MF DOOM’s official account in March, including an alleged email exchange.
“Egon Give The Notebooks Back. @nowagain,” she wrote.
Alapatt was the General Manager of Stones Throw Records and used to manage Madlib, a frequent collaborator of the late MF DOOM.
“Alapatt never consulted with DOOM about his acquisition of the notebooks and took advantage of DOOM’s being out the country to obtain them,” the lawsuit reads.
Alapatt allegedly denied that he had possession of the notebooks but then admitted to having them after being confronted by DOOM. He claims that DOOM owed him $12,500 in rent and since he paid it for the late rapper, he is the rightful owner of the works.
“Although Alapatt has professed that he ‘does not intend to publish’ the unauthorized digital copies he made, he does not have to ‘publish’ the copies of his infringing copies to be liable,” the complaint continues. “Regardless, [DOOM’s estate] alleges that Alapatt actually shared the copies of the notebook he made with others.”
The “Rhymes Like Dimes” rapper and producer (real name was Daniel Dumile Thompson) passed away in October 2020 at the age of 49. Whereas the cause of his demise was initially concealed from the public, it was later revealed that it was the product of side effects from taking ACE inhibitors.
After ingesting just two doses of blood pressure medication that he had been prescribed, the masked icon had a severe reaction called Angioedema that resulted in his throat, tongue and lips swelling.
His death later sparked an inquest following his treatment at St. James Hospital in Leeds, England.
His wife explained that the staff’s negligence of DOOM’s needs contributed to his deteriorating condition (via Leeds Live). According to her, DOOM was unable to alert those on duty about needing help because his buzzer wasn’t within reach.
Were they really stolen ? Or are rhyme books something that might be drafted and left behind in a studio if you work there frequently? Its questionable whether something created and left behind on private property belongs to the rappers estate just because he used it while alive. Do they want the pen too ? While giving the rhyme books to the estate would be the respectful thing to do, it might not be required legally. Maybe Doom owed the studio money. Who knows ?
Stfu Egon. Its his rhyme book. Of course its for his family after he dies. I swear some of y’all are weird when it comes to property
Yo Egon, I dont think you get my perspective. Im looking at the rhyme book more like work materials left at a job than as a personal item that went wherever he went. I mean if somebody famous dies, Doom’s family cant just go around to everybody he hung out with demanding everything he ever touched. The same thing happened with J-Dilla beats. He worked with a lot of friends out of love and left a lot of unreleased stuff in the hands of friends. Now the family is coming around trying to make demands just to get paid. At the end of the day everyone wants to get paid. But if homeboy knew me and left it in my hands, who are you to try and come take it ? This is why we are still seeing unreleased 2pac material and letters 30 years later.
Forgot to add, I can’t believe I found time out of my busy schedule licking Ye’s boots all day to post this!