Black content creators aren’t the only ones suing video-streaming networking service Triller for lack of payment.
Swizz Beatz and Timbaland filed a lawsuit against Triller seeking $28 million in non-payment for a Verzuz rap-battle deal.
The mega music producers say the TikTok rival Triller bought their popular livestream battle show in January 2021. But the $28 million agreed-upon payment was never made.
The duo is suing Triller for breach of contract, citing lack of payments in 2022.
Beatz and Timbaland came up with the concept for Verzuz as a way of passing the time during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns in 2020.
The lip-sync rap battles evolved into respectable music competition between B- and C-list bold name artists, such as Monica and Brandy Norwood.
Beatz and Timbaland say the music app made initial payments in 2021, but then defaulted in January 2022. Triller failed to make a large settlement payment in March of this year.
Triller is also being sued by hundreds of Black content creators who say they have been stiffed out of millions of dollars.
Triller offered as many as 300 Black content creators $14 million to leave TikTok. But many say they are in debt and facing eviction because Triller defaulted on payments.
Triller was poised to become TikTok’s biggest competition.
