News of May 2, 2001
"The Lost Tapes": Estate Reaches Settlement with Chopmaster J
In May 2001, Tupac's estate settled the dispute over "The Lost Tapes." Afterward, the 1989 recordings were allowed to be sold regularly.
The dispute over Tupac’s earliest recordings has been settled. As AllHipHop reported on May 2, 2001, the estate reached an agreement with Jimmy “Chopmaster J” Dright and his company Network One. Dright had released the recordings under the title Shakur: The Lost Tapes without the consent of Tupac’s heirs.
Letters to Retailers
The tracks were created in the summer of 1989, when Tupac was part of Digital Underground’s circle. Chopmaster J was among the founders of the group. Following the release, the estate had instructed retailers in writing not to offer the CD, as AllHipHop reported, citing the music service Launch. Under the settlement, stores were permitted to carry the record again. Further terms were not disclosed.
In Germany, the CD had already been released on May 31, 2000, on the ZYX label. The review by laut.de praised its value for collectors, but criticized the poor sound quality of the cassette recordings (report from May 2000).