Rapper/ Producer Pete Rock was one of the producers that contributed to Illmatic, the debut album from QB rapper Nas. The dispute is related to the only Gold single from the album, “The World Is Yours” and the royalties generated by that song. According to Rock, Nas signed a contract that entitled the producer to a cut of the royalties from the record but they haven’t been paid in decades.
Nas features PR on the hook of the song and he is credited as a songwriter. Pete Rock spoke to Page Six about the issue. “Nas and his people have stonewalled me since 1994; My New Year’s resolution is to be compensated for my hard work on ‘Illmatic.’” The song has been sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Eminem, as well as the late Mac Miller. The lawsuit is supposed to be filed this month.