News of July 16, 2016
Music rights dispute threatens release of "All Eyez on Me"
Rights dispute over "Ambitionz Az a Ridah": TMZ reported a delay of the biopic, but producer Daz Dillinger pushed back on Instagram.
In mid-July 2016, the schedule for the biopic was thrown into doubt: TMZ reported that a dispute over the rights to “Ambitionz Az a Ridah” was jeopardizing the release date of All Eyez on Me. If the conflict did not end in time, the theatrical release threatened to slip from September to November.
Daz vs. BMG: Lawsuit over the Melody
Vibe summarized: Producer Daz Dillinger of Tha Dogg Pound stated that he held rights to the song because he had produced the melody. Music publisher BMG countered that it was the sole rights holder and had to approve its use in the film. The two had already been battling in court since April; Daz had sued BMG at the time for more than $75,000 in publishing royalties.
Daz pushes back: “Nothing derailed”
Daz pushed back on Instagram on July 17. According to AllHipHop, he said there was “nothing derailed” about the Tupac film: Hutton and Benny Boom were continuing “full blast.” BMG did not initially comment.
The reports relied on TMZ; whether the dispute actually affected the release date is not documented. The film finally hit theaters in June 2017, see All Eyez on Me.