Maxwell Smith aka “Max Romeo” has filed a $15 million lawsuit against UMG Recordings and Polygram Publishing, Inc., claiming unpaid royalties on 19 songs, including War Ina Babylon, and Step Forward and his biggest hit Chase The Devil which was sampled by Kanye West and Jay-Z and featured in the Grand Theft Auto gaming franchise.
The dispute revolves around royalties from his 9-track War Ina Babylon (1976) and his 10-track Reconstruction (1977) albums. Romeo had collaborated with the late Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, using Perry’s Black Ark Studio and his house band, The Upsetters, to produce War Ina Babylon under a recording contract they signed with Island Records, then owned by Christopher Blackwell.
Romeo also signed a songwriter agreement with Island Music.
The two agreements promised 25% and 50% royalties from the recordings and compositions, but Romeo has alleged that UMG and Polygram, who gained control of Island Records and Island Music through a series of acquisitions and mergers, have failed to pay him what he’s owed since 1976.
Romeo said: “I have never been paid, I can’t say much about it. It is being taken care of…so I don’t want to talk too much about the subject. Maybe in a couple of months from now, you can call me back, and we can discuss it openly, so hopefully it will be resolved.”
(Source: DancehallMa