Madlib files lawsuit against former manager over financial self-dealing

Madlib has filed a lawsuit against his former manager, Eothen ‘Egon’ Alapatt, accusing him of financial self-dealing and mismanagement.

In a lawsuit filed on October 31, Madlib claims that Egon – former Stones Throw Records manager and founder of Now-Again Records – concealed information from the producer.

The suit, seen by Mixmag, asks the Superior Court of California to dissolve record label Madicine Show, which is majority owned by Madlib and managed by Egon since around 2010, per Music Business Worldwide.

It claims that Egon took control of Madlib’s finances and business affairs, and breached his duties to the producer. It also claims that he engaged in “persistent and pervasive mismanagement, as well as abuse of his role in Madicine Show.”

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The lawsuit also alleges that Egon abused his position in Rapp Cats, Madlib’s merchandise company and record store where Egon was hired to manage “financial, legal, and business” affairs.

“Rapp Cats was to be managed by Egon and to be used as a vehicle for Madlib’s music merchandising activities, including selling physical product as well as collections of vinyl records at record store events,” the suit reads.

All profits from the enterprise were set to be “shared among Madlib, Egon, and [co-owner] Jank”, according to the lawsuit.

“Madlib only recently discovered that not only was Egon not performing these duties, but he was also engaged in rank self-dealing, concealing information from and repeatedly breaching his duties to Madlib.”

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A “forensic accounting” commissioned by Madlib is claimed to have revealed “several accounting irregularities” or a “lack of any backup documentation” for payments to Egon, Jank, and others – totalling “several hundred thousands of dollars”.

The lawsuit was filed on the fourth anniversary of the death of MF DOOM. In 2023, MF DOOM’s widow, Jasmine Dumile Thompson, claimed in a lawsuit that Egon improperly purchased 31 of the late rapper’s notebooks, which include lyrics, drawings, notes and more.

Thompson and MF DOOM's Gas Drawls brand, which is now managed by his estate, claimed that they held the rights to the notebooks, which she says her late husband would have wanted to be kept private. Egon is being sued over copyright infringement, fraud, intentional misrepresentation and unjust enrichment.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter