Konvict Entertainment received $1,304,127 in royalties in late March for music revenue generated during the second half of 2025, according to a lawsuit filed this month in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta. Under the recording agreement T-Pain signed with the label in 2005, he was entitled to 75 percent of the net royalties, approximately $978,095. The complaint alleges that Konvict paid him $489,047 in early June, around half of that amount.

T-Pain claims Konvict directed him to seek the remaining $489,047 from BuVision, a label founded by Abou “Bu” Thiam, Akon’s brother and a former co-chief executive of Konvict Music. BuVision did not pay, according to the complaint. T-Pain is now suing Konvict for the unpaid balance plus interest, alleging violations of both the 2005 recording agreement and the 2025 settlement that resolved his previous royalty lawsuit against the label. BuVision is neither a party to the recording agreement nor a defendant in the new case.

The lawsuit marks the second royalty dispute between T-Pain and Konvict. His 66-page complaint filed in 2018 accused the label of withholding royalties and ultimately led to a 2025 settlement. Under that agreement, Konvict paid him approximately $114,000 to resolve amounts owed through the end of 2024.

The new complaint spans 80 pages and alleges that Konvict breached not only the original recording agreement but also the settlement intended to resolve the earlier dispute. It includes the notice T-Pain’s attorneys sent to the label before filing suit.

“Left with no other option, counsel for Najm gave notice to Konvict of its failure to pay the remaining balance. To date, Konvict has not cured its breach of the 2025 Settlement Agreement following Najm’s written notice.”

Najm refers to Faheem Najm, T-Pain’s legal name. The royalties at issue are tied to three albums released through Konvict during the peak of his commercial rise: Rappa Ternt Sanga in 2005, Epiphany in 2007 and Three Ringz in 2008. Those albums continue to generate revenue through streaming and other uses. The March royalty payment was processed through Sony Music’s Zomba, which has distributed the recordings since the Jive Records era.

The 2025 settlement resolved royalties owed through Dec. 31, 2024. The disputed payment covers revenue generated during the second half of 2025, making it the first complete accounting period after the settlement. T-Pain’s complaint alleges that Konvict failed to honor the agreement almost immediately after resolving the previous case.

The lawsuit applies T-Pain’s contractual 75 percent royalty share directly to the $1,304,127 received by Konvict, producing a total of approximately $978,095. It does not challenge deductions made before the royalty split was calculated.

The lawsuit arrives as artists continue to question how streaming revenue moves through the music business. On Sunday (Sept. 13), Busta Rhymes told the Power Players with Brian Sozzi podcast that artists and producers have not solved the financial challenges created by the streaming economy.

“I don’t think we’ve figured [making money in streaming] out yet, unfortunately, in the way that business is being done today. I’m talking about, like, us as artists, producers, amongst our peers. We’re all facing a very similar frustration with streaming.”

Spotify responded by saying it paid more than $1 million in 2025 for streams of Busta Rhymes’ catalog. That figure represents what the platform paid rights holders, not necessarily what reached the artist after contractual divisions, label deductions and other obligations. The difference between platform payouts and artist receipts is often difficult to examine because label accounting remains private unless an artist exercises an audit right or files a lawsuit that places the figures in the public record.

The dispute also comes as the broader recorded-music business continues to grow. Our review of the RIAA mid-year report found that U.S. recorded-music revenue increased 6.9 percent, even as rap and R&B posted the slowest growth among the categories examined. T-Pain’s lawsuit illustrates how rising industry revenue does not automatically translate into timely or transparent payments to individual artists.

T-Pain has already adjusted his business strategy to account for streaming-era economics. He sold his publishing rights and select master recordings to HarbourView Equity Partners and discussed the decision last month on a Twitch stream.

“When streaming started, nobody told us... all of our music went from a dollar a song to 0.003 cents per play.”

He has also said that he now earns more from Twitch than from music. The comparison highlights a critical difference between the two revenue streams: Twitch payments reach him more directly, while music royalties can pass through distributors, labels and other rights holders before reaching the artist.

The central legal issue in the Fulton County case is relatively confined: The contract allegedly entitles T-Pain to 75 percent of the net proceeds. The court may need to decide whether Konvict could meet that obligation by paying half of his share directly and sending him to BuVision for the remainder, even though BuVision was not a party to the 2005 agreement.

The settlement reached in 2025 may also shape the case. T-Pain’s attorneys say they gave Konvict written notice of the alleged breach and an opportunity to pay the outstanding balance before filing the lawsuit. The complaint states that Konvict did not cure the alleged breach within that period.

Under Georgia civil procedure, Konvict generally has 30 days after service to answer the complaint. Its response could show whether the label disputes T-Pain’s royalty calculation, its responsibility for the unpaid amount or the claim that part of the payment was improperly routed through BuVision.

It seems Akon is trying to pull the wool over T-Pain's eyes!