Madlib Sues Ex-Manager For “Breaching” Duties On Anniversary Of MF DOOM’s Death
The filing claims Eothen “Egon” Alapatt engaged in “persistent and pervasive mismanagement.”
Madlib performs on the Footsprints stage during the Blue Note Jazz Festival at Silverado Resort and Spa on July 28, 2023 in Napa, California.
Richard Bord/Getty Images
Madlib is taking legal action against his former manager. In a complaint filed on Thursday (Oct. 31), commemorating the anniversary of frequent collaborator MF DOOM’s 2020 passing, the producer alleges Eothen “Egon” Alapatt engaged in “persistent and pervasive mismanagement.”
DOOMSDAY was purposefully selected to honor DOOM as his estate is currently involved in litigation, seeking the return of multiple notebooks that contain the rapper’s catalog of released verses, unreleased tracks, writings, and creative ideas.
In the filing obtained by VIBE, Madlib, legal name Otis Jackson Jr., claims Alapatt engaged in rank self-dealing, concealing information from and repeatedly breaching his duties to Madlib, and otherwise engaging in persistent and pervasive mismanagement, as well as abuse of his role in Madicine Show, Rapp Cats, Madlib’s professional and business affairs.
The complaint also claims Egon has locked Madlib out of several key platforms including Ingrooves, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and YouTube as well as his Facebook and Instagram accounts, and the account for his Quasimoto character.
According to Billboard, the lawsuit against Egon from MF DOOM’s estate was filed in October 2023. MF DOOM‘s widow Jasmine Dumile Thompson, alleges the manager stole 31 of the late rapper’s notebooks that were used to write down many of his beloved songs including tracks from Operation Doomsday (1999), Madvillainy (2004), and MM…FOOD (2004).
The lawsuit asserts, “[The notebooks] were intended by DOOM to be secret and confidential.”
Rapper MF DOOM performs at a benefit concert for the Rhino Foundation at Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield on June 28, 2005 in New York City.
y Peter Kramer/Getty Images
The writings also allegedly included unreleased song ideas, musings, and “other creative ideations.” In March of that year, Thompson publicized email communications between MF DOOM and Egon, demanding the notebooks be returned. Egon insists the writings be “donated to a university or government archive”
In a statement sent to Billboard at the time, Egon’s lawyer Kenneth Freundlich said the following:
“Mr. Alapatt looks forward to his day in court to dismiss these frivolous and untrue allegations. Mr. Alapatt rescued these books from DOOM’s unpaid landlord who had taken possession of all of his belongings. With DOOM’s blessing, Mr. Alapatt intended to donate the books to either the Smithsonian or the Cornell University Hip Hop Archive, where they could be considered and studied by scholars, in the same way that manuscripts by great poets or sheet music by great composers are. Mr. Alapatt will do everything he can to ensure that these historically significant books are archived and protected.”
