Tupac's estate accuses producer Daz Dillinger of keeping a $1 million archive

Tupac's estate has accused the producer Daz Dillinger of keeping a master recording, studio reels and handwritten lyrics belonging to the late rapper, AllHipHop reported on August 13 in a story it ran as an exclusive. Amaru Entertainment, which runs the estate, says Dillinger may owe more than $1 million over the material.

The dispute began with Dillinger's own lawsuit demanding an accounting of what his work with Tupac had earned, and Amaru's reply denies his claims while raising the archive accusation for the first time. The filing states that Amaru paid Dillinger $91,445.27 after an October 2024 demand, but that no royalty statements came with the check, and that old Death Row agreements show Dillinger was never entitled to it.

Dillinger produced five songs on Tupac's 1996 album All Eyez On Me, including Ambitionz Az A Ridah and I Ain't Mad At Cha, and rapped on Got My Mind Made Up. The estate's filing says he has admitted holding at least one Tupac master recording, roughly forty original studio reels and walls of handwritten lyrics, and that he sold some of that material to others.

Their partnership extended beyond All Eyez On Me: Dillinger and Tupac also worked together on "Life's So Hard" for the Gang Related soundtrack and "Homeboyz," which later surfaced on the posthumous album Still I Rise, part of a catalog Amaru's filing says also includes the disputed track "Skandalouz."

Amaru has asked for a jury trial, and the case remains open. It runs alongside a separate Tupac-related proceeding, the Keefe D murder case, where Tupac's cousin has been watching jury selection in court.