LOS ANGELES (BN24)— Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube are currently embroiled in a legal dispute with Westside Merchandise, a company accusing the rappers of fraud and breach of contract. The lawsuit, which centers on a failure to deliver on agreed-upon promotional obligations for a merchandise deal, claims the two stars have refused to return a hefty upfront payment of $1.375 million.
The legal drama began when Westside Merchandise, a company specializing in artist-branded merchandise, filed a lawsuit in November 2024. The company alleges that Snoop, Ice Cube, and their rap collective, Mount Westmore, failed to honor a 2022 agreement to promote and sell merchandise for the group. According to the suit, Westside provided the rappers with advances and royalties under the impression that Mount Westmore would tour extensively and produce promotional videos to promote the merchandise. However, the company claims these actions never materialized.
Mount Westmore, a group consisting of Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, and Too Short, was supposed to perform a 60-date tour in the U.S. and Europe to support their merchandise, but according to Westside, only three concerts took place in 2022, and none in 2023 or 2024. Additionally, the lawsuit accuses the rappers of failing to create promotional content for the merchandise, which they had promised to post on social media.
In response, Snoop and Ice Cube have vigorously denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and “without merit.” Both rappers are fighting efforts to be deposed in connection with the case. Court filings from August revealed that Snoop and Ice Cube requested a ruling to avoid appearing for scheduled depositions, arguing that such a move would be “harassing, oppressive, and burdensome,” given their busy schedules. Their legal teams claimed that the depositions would not yield any “substantive” information, and suggested that Westside was using the deposition process as a “tactic” to force a settlement.
Both Snoop and Ice Cube have cited professional commitments as reasons for their unavailability. Snoop stated he was shooting a movie and would be free only after October 21, while Ice Cube pointed to his involvement in the Big3 basketball league and his upcoming tour. The rappers have requested that, if forced to testify, the deposition be conducted virtually and limited to two hours.
Westside Merchandise, however, has strongly opposed these efforts to avoid depositions. In court documents filed in September, the company claimed that it had made multiple attempts to cooperate with the rappers’ legal teams in scheduling depositions and had been met with repeated delays. The company further demanded that the court sanction Snoop and Ice Cube by ordering them to pay $11,000 in fees for prolonging the case.
At the heart of the dispute is the $1.375 million that Westside Merchandise claims it paid the rappers under the terms of the agreement. The company insists that, despite repeated requests, Snoop and Ice Cube have refused to return the money. Westside also claims that they were promised promotional efforts that never materialized. The company accuses the rappers of taking the money and failing to fulfill the terms of the deal, despite reassurances that the duo would appear at promotional events and produce promotional content.
Snoop, Ice Cube, and their fellow Mount Westmore members E-40 and Too Short have denied the allegations, with their attorney Frank Seddigh emphasizing that they have always conducted business in good faith. “Despite multiple attempts to resolve this matter amicably, Westside Merchandising has refused to cooperate or engage in good-faith discussions,” Seddigh said in a statement to Us Weekly. “The company has failed to uphold its contractual obligations by withholding royalty payments and sales accounting that are rightfully owed to our clients.”
On the other hand, Westside’s attorney, John Fowler, accused the defendants of intentionally avoiding their depositions and claimed the rappers had “swindled” his client. “The defendants took my client’s money, promising to be an upstanding partner focused on touring and merchandising efforts, only to run away with seven figures of funding, and failing to provide anything in return,” Fowler said.
He also criticized Too Short’s public comments on the matter, in which the rapper stated that he was “too rich and busy” to focus on Mount Westmore’s obligations. “This is obviously not a legitimate defense in a court of law,” Fowler added. “We look forward to trying this case.”
The lawsuit highlights the complex nature of celebrity merchandise deals, where artists are often required to fulfill both promotional and performance commitments. This case may set a significant precedent for how such disputes are handled in the future, especially given the involvement of high-profile figures like Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube.
As the legal battle continues, both parties are preparing for further proceedings, with a judge yet to rule on whether Snoop and Ice Cube will be forced to appear for their depositions. The case is expected to remain in the public eye as it unfolds, with the potential for significant financial and reputational consequences for the artists involved.
