Madlib and Egon's partnership was once harmonious as one could be. Madlib was cheffing up great beats and Egon masterfully took care of all of the business upfront and behind the scenes. But in the last few years, things have really unraveled, sadly. The latest chapter in their tense saga is this new federal lawsuit filed by the manager earlier this week.
Per a report from Nolan Strong of AllHipHop, Egon's documents, which he sent to California’s Central District Court on November 11, accuses Madlib of trying to claim tons of recordings under their Madicine Show LLC and Madlib Invazion collectives as his own.
This includes works with artists like Freddie Gibbs and Mac Miller, for example. "The recordings at issue were created and exploited pursuant to a licensing relationship between Jackson and Madicine Show. They remain company assets," the lawsuit states.
Egon further argues that Madlib signed off on Madicine Show having the rights "necessary to exploit his recordings." This is something that the beat smith cannot go back on. If the California native does go against the agreement, then the suit claims it would "impair the value of the catalog itself."
Madlib & Egon Beef
As we said earlier, Egon and Madlib, who aren't partners anymore, have been continuously damaging their friendship. Both parties have contributed to this in some shape or form, though. Egon seems to be accusing of Madlib starting this mess by bringing on new management.
"[Madlib] turned against Alapatt (Egon) and the enterprise they built... The business’s success rested on that [former] combination."
Madlib also sued his ex-business partner last year in October. He accused him of mismanagement, self-dealing, and blocking access to digital platforms, including Bandcamp, Apple Music, and YouTube.
Moreover, he claimed that Egon's Now-Again Records, was trying to take away revenue from Madicine Show. Madlib's filing attempted to get rid of Now-Again and appoint a court receiver to do so. That's seemingly what prompted Egon to fire back with his federal suit.
