Producer DVLP Is Suing Birdman for Unpaid Royalties
According to the American Bar Association, almost 10% of 2014 law school graduates are still unemployed and seeking work in the legal field. If those grads have any sense, they'll check the Miami Yellow Pages for a certain Bryan Williams. Birdman finds himself embroiled in yet another legal struggle, this time with the producer DVLP. Born Bigram Zayas, the man behind the boards for a handful of Lil Wayne songs--including "Fireman," the hit single from Tha Carter II--is seeking $200,000 in unpaid royalties. TMZ, who first reported the story, has obtained documents that purport to be text messages between DVLP and Birdman, with the latter attempting to hold the artist at bay, consistently promising payment.
Cash Money Records was and is notorious for their royalty payments, or lack thereof. Fucked-up money was the force that pushed Juvenile and Turk away from the New Orleans-based label, and it seems to be playing a role in the ongoing saga that finds Baby holding Wayne's Tha Carter V hostage. Earlier this year, the rapper and producer David Banner sued Lil Wayne and his Young Money imprint for nearly $150,000 worth of unpaid royalties for his work on Tha Carter III. (Banner contributed to "La La" and "Pussy Monster," the latter taking the place of "Playing With Fire" on later pressings of the album after the song "Playing With Fire" was removed due to sample clearance issues. In recent years, DVLP has continued to work with Wayne, producing "Post Bail Baillin'" from the Free Weezy Album, itself the object of legal scrutiny. That said, against all odds, Birdman still has love for his old protege:
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