MF DOOM estate sues ex-Stones Throw label manager for alleged theft of 31 notebooks
Written by WOM writer on October 27, 2023
The songwriting notebooks contain lyrics from DOOM’s biggest albums, aswell as musings and ideas. The label manager claims he kept them as payment for unpaid rent in 2010.
The estate of the late iconic hip-hop producer and MC MF DOOM has reportedly filed a lawsuit against an ex-label manager at Stones Throw Records, claiming he stole songwriting notebooks.
Eothen “Egon” Alapatt, MF DOOM’s former label collaborator and general manager of Stones Throw Records, is the man in question. According to reports by Billboard, he’s being sued by MF DOOM’s widow Jasmine Dumile Thompson for allegedly stealing 31 notebooks.
These notebooks, according to Thompson, included lyrics and creative material from his 1999 album, Operation Doomsday, 2004’s Madvillainy and MM…FOOD alongside ideas for unreleased tracks, musings and “other creative ideations.”
This dispute is not entirely new. It traces back to 2010 when MF DOOM, who sadly died almost exactly three years ago today, was unable to return to the U.S. due to immigration issues. He left the notebooks in his Los Angeles studio. Six years later, Alapatt allegedly took them without consulting the British-American producer.
Initially, he denied having the notebooks, but later stated he took them to cover $12,500 in rent. Thompson suspects MF DOOM owed no rent, and Alapatt simply paid the money to acquire the notebooks.
In 2020, Alapatt offered photocopies but kept the originals. Shortly before MF DOOM’s death, he sent digital scans, dated 2018-2020, suggesting copyright infringement. The lawsuit seeks the return of the notebooks, the destruction of the photocopies, and compensation for damage. Alapatt plans to donate them to cultural institutions such as archives or museums.
In March, Thompson shared emails on the ‘@MFDOOM’ Instagram account, urging Egon Alapatt to return the stolen notebooks belonging to her late husband. This prompted MF DOOM’s fans to support the estate’s efforts to reclaim his creative work.
Source: Oliver Payne – musictech.com
