American singer and rapper T-Pain has filed a lawsuit against Konvict Entertainment, the record label co-founded by Akon, alleging that it failed to pay him $489,047 in royalties connected to his music catalogue.
The case was filed on 4 September 2026 in Fulton County Superior Court in Georgia. T-Pain, whose legal name is Faheem Rasheed Najm, accuses the company of breaching a recording agreement signed in 2005 and a settlement reached in 2025.
Akon is not personally named as a defendant. The only defendant in the new case is Konvict Entertainment, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reviewed the court filing.
What T-Pain alleges
The dispute centres on more than $1.3 million that Konvict allegedly received from a music distributor at the end of March 2026. The money reportedly came from sales of T-Pain’s recordings during the second half of 2025.
T-Pain claims his agreements entitle him to 75 per cent of the net royalties that Konvict receives from distributors for sales of his recordings.
According to the complaint, Konvict paid him $489,047 in early June. However, the singer says that payment represented only half of the amount due to him from the relevant royalties.
He alleges that another $489,047 remains unpaid and is seeking that amount, prejudgment interest and legal costs. XXL, which also reviewed the filing, reported the disputed balance more precisely as $489,047.76.
T-Pain also told the court that he received separate royalties directly from the distributor for Freaknik: The Musical. That money is not presented as the disputed balance at the centre of the new lawsuit.
The role of BuVision
The lawsuit says T-Pain was directed to seek the outstanding payment from BuVision, an affiliated record company managed by Akon’s brother, Abou “Bu” Thiam.
T-Pain’s representatives allegedly contacted BuVision in June but were unable to recover the money. His lawyers later gave Konvict written notice that they considered the non-payment a breach of the parties’ agreements.
The complaint claims that Konvict did not correct the alleged breach after receiving that notice.
Neither BuVision nor Thiam is named as a defendant. The lawsuit instead argues that Konvict remains responsible for paying the royalties covered by its agreements with T-Pain.
A previous dispute
This is the second reported lawsuit between T-Pain and Konvict Entertainment.
T-Pain first sued the company in 2018, raising claims linked to royalties and other payments under their recording relationship. Konvict denied liability in that case.
After years of mediation, the parties reached a settlement in 2025. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Konvict agreed to pay T-Pain $114,000 under that settlement, which covered royalties collected through the end of 2024.
The latest lawsuit concerns later revenue, reportedly generated by recordings sold during the second half of 2025. T-Pain alleges that the new payment dispute breaches both the original 2005 recording agreement and the 2025 settlement.
A relationship that helped launch T-Pain’s career
T-Pain joined Akon’s Konvict label in 2005, early in his recording career. His debut album, Rappa Ternt Sanga, was released that year and included the breakthrough single “I’m Sprung”.
He later became one of the most recognisable voices in American R&B and hip-hop, known for his influential use of Auto-Tune. His major songs include “Buy U a Drank”, “Bartender” featuring Akon and “I’m ’n Luv (Wit a Stripper)”.
The long relationship between T-Pain and the label helped establish his career, but the current lawsuit concerns contractual accounting and payment obligations rather than their past creative partnership.
Claims have not been decided
The $489,047 figure remains an allegation made by T-Pain in a civil complaint. The filing does not establish that Konvict owes him the money, and no court ruling on the dispute has been reported.
According to reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Pulse Nigeria, Konvict Entertainment had not publicly responded to the new allegations when their stories were published. Lawyers for T-Pain also did not provide an additional public statement to the Atlanta newspaper.
Konvict will have an opportunity to respond in court. Its answer, together with the recording agreement, settlement terms and royalty records, will be important in determining whether the company breached its obligations.
Until the court examines those materials or the parties reach another settlement, T-Pain’s demand should be treated as a disputed claim, not an established debt.
