LOS ANGELES, May 12 (UPI) -- Los Angeles rapper Ras Kass has sued Capitol Records, EMI Music and others for breach of contract and alleged fraudulent accounting practices.
Kass, whose real name is John Austin, filed suit Monday in Los Angeles seeking to cancel his contract with Priority Records, a Capitol/EMI division, and compensatory and punitive damages to be determined, Billboard.com reported.
Austin signed with Priority Records in 1985, at the time as a 22-year-old, with a contract to make one record and an option for five more.
Austin's suit alleges Priority failed to market and promote his two albums and that Priority officials maliciously interfered with Austin's career.
The suit also alleges that a third and fourth album were sabotaged, as well as additional projects.
The suit says due to "fraudulent accounting practices," he has received only $100,000 during the nine years of his contract, about $11,000 per year.
