Why is Tupac Shakur’s estate being sued? Legal trouble over Dr. Khallid Muhammad’s alleged speech explained

Tupac Shakur's estate is being sued for sampling a copyrighted speech by Dr. Khallid Abdul Muhammad for his 1996 recording "White Man'Z World" without permission. Per a report by Tribune, Muhammad's estate filed the lawsuit in court, with defendants including Shakur's estate, Suge Knight, Interscope Records, Death Row Records, Universal's publishing arm, and producer Darryl "Big D" Harper.

Tupac released "White Man'Z World" on his posthumous album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory in November 1996, weeks before his death.

As per the lawsuit, Shakur used a seven-line excerpt from Muhammad's 1993 speech at the "Black Holocaust Nationhood Conference." In his speech, Muhammad called for support for political prisoners and argued that his voice lent the song emotional and political significance.

Muhammad was a prominent Black nationalist and former spokesperson for the Nation of Islam, who passed away in 2001.

Khallid Abdul Muhammad was an African-American Muslim minister and activist. His allegedly racially inflammatory speech at Kean College in 1993 had him condemned and removed from the position in the Nation of Islam.

As per WikiWand, in his 1993 speech, Muhammad referred to Jews as "bloodsuckers" of the black community, labeled the Pope as a "no-good cracker," and advocated for the murder of any and all white South Africans who chose to not leave the nation after a warning period of 24 hours.

According to Tribune, the estate also claims that Tupac did not seek any license for the sample, give Muhammad no credit, or make any payment to the artist. Additionally, the lawsuit mentions that the song continues to be commercially exploited since it's available on streaming platforms and is licensed for various uses.

The lawsuit seeks $5 million in damages, a permanent injunction to prevent further use of Muhammad's voice, attorney's fees, and confiscation of infringing materials.

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Khallid Abdul Muhammad's estate lawyer details Khallid's role in Tupac Shakur's "White Man'z World"

While explaining the relevance of the lawsuit against Tupac Shakur's estate and the alleged illegal sampling of Khallid Abdul Muhammad's speech, lawyer Malik Z. Shabazz explained, as per an exclusive report by All Hip Hop,

"His presence (Khallid's) on 'White Man'z World' reinforces Tupac Shakur's role as not just an artist, but as a voice for Black empowerment and resistance against opression. At a time when hip-hop was a leading force in shaping political discource among Black youth, Dr. Khallid's inclusion gave 'White Man'z World' an undeniable authenticity, elevating it beyond music into a revolutionary message against racial injustice."

Muhammad's estate also insists that the defendants had access to public records, which showed that the speech was protected.