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The estate of the late MF DOOM has officially launched a legal battle against the artist's former manager over notebooks full of lyrics and unreleased song ideas.
According to a report Billboard published on Wednesday, October 25, the deceased rapper's widow Jasmine Dumile Thompson filed a lawsuit against DOOM's former label manager Eothen “Egon” Alapatt for allegedly stealing over 31 notebooks that contains lyrics to some of his biggest hits as well as "other creative ideations." Egon worked with DOOM during his time as the general manager and A&R of Stone's Throw Records. In the lawsuit, the estate claims that Egon previously admitted to possessing the notebooks, but refused to return them.
Court documents were filed earlier this week, but it's not the first time the public has heard about the accusations against Egon. Back in March, Thompson posted screenshots of emails from her late husband to E in regard to the notebooks. Instead of fulling the late rapper and his family's wishes, Egon is reportedly insisting that the notebooks be “donated to a university or government archive” or a “museum or other institution of [Egon’s] choosing." However, the family claims that DOOM wanted the notebooks to remain confidential.
Prior to his death, MF DOOM had been in the U.K. since he was barred from returning to the U.S. due to immigration issues in 2010. The notebooks were left behind in his L.A. studio. Egon allegedly lied about possessing the notebooks when DOOM first confronted him about it. Once the landlord confirmed Egon had them, Egon told DOOM that the landlord had threatened to destroy the notebooks if he didn't pay $12,500 in overdue rent. Thompson thinks Egon lied about the situation and instead paid the landlord for the notebooks.
“Mr. Alapatt looks forward to his day in court to dismiss these frivolous and untrue allegations," Egon's lawyer Kenneth Freundlich told Billboard. "Mr. Alapatt rescued these books from DOOM’s unpaid landlord who had taken possession of all of his belongings. With DOOM’s blessing, Mr. Alapatt intended to donate the books to either the Smithsonian or the Cornell University Hip Hop Archive, where they could be considered and studied by scholars, in the same way that manuscripts by great poets or sheet music by great composers are. Mr. Alapatt will do everything he can to ensure that these historically significant books are archived and protected.”
Thompson just wants the all notebooks returned and any copies of them destroyed along with "significant damages" Egon has caused the family.