DMX Estate Battles Friend Over Unreleased Music

Six years after DMX's passing, a significant dispute has emerged between his estate and DJ Superior, a close associate from his early days. Superior claims to possess a substantial collection of unreleased DMX music on cassette tapes, alongside handwritten lyrics and videos, asserting co-ownership and a desire to share this historical material with fans.

The DMX estate, managed by Ashley Austin, has firmly rejected these claims. Through legal counsel, they have issued multiple cease-and-desist letters, asserting that all physical items and unreleased recordings rightfully belong to the estate. They have warned that any attempt to commercially distribute, publish, or license this material without their explicit consent would constitute copyright infringement, leading to legal action.

Superior's legal team argues that he is the legal co-author of several DMX songs, including the breakout hit 'Get At Me Dog,' and therefore possesses rights to exploit these works. He also stated a deathbed promise to DMX to help take care of his children. The estate has vehemently disputed these assertions, labeling them as 'revisionist history' and pointing out that such claims were only made after DMX's death in April 2021.

Despite Superior's efforts to negotiate, including proposals for profit-sharing, the estate has maintained its stance. They require Superior to waive any copyright ownership claims as a precondition for settlement and have refused to acknowledge his co-author credits on existing hits. The ongoing legal conflict has prevented the release of any new DMX music, leaving fans in suspense.