DJ Paul Claims Suicideboys Lied About Getting Verbal Permission to Sample Three 6 Mafia Songs, Never Paid Royalties

After news emerged this week that founding Three 6 Mafia members DJ Paul and Juicy J are suing $uicideboy$ for $6.4 million for copyright infringement, and $uicideboy$ denied the claims, Paul is now speaking out.

Talking exclusively with XXL, Paul broke down the reason for levying such a hefty lawsuit against the New Orleans duo, whom both Paul and Juicy had worked with in the past. According to Paul, there was no verbal agreement between Juicy J and $uicideboy$ to use the music, as $uicideboy$ have countered. "Nah, they didn't have no verbal agreement with Juicy J," Paul explains. "They was using our music before they even met Juicy J. Nah, he didn't do that. They lying."

He adds, "I'ma put it like this. This is what I am going to say. I never heard of a verbal agreement, I'ma put it like that. I never heard of a verbal agreement, and I seriously doubt Juicy J gave them a verbal agreement to use their music because he can't speak on my behalf."

Paul claims the situation runs deeper than just the music, naming former Three 6 Mafia member Lord Famous to drive home his point. "They stole our act, they stole everything that's about us," he says. "You know, and I'm a fan of those guys. I love those guys, man. I love they music, you know what I'm saying? But, this where it got me. If you want to tick me off, you play with my bother, Lord Infamous. My brother, Lord Infamous, passed away. And that's what they did. So, basically Lord Infamous passes away. One of those dudes [Scrim] call himself The Scarecrow, which everybody know Lord Infamous [is] The Scarecrow, that was his name, he got it tattooed on his arm. He turned himself into my dead brother."

Even still, DJ Paul says he would have possibly let the transgressions slide. However, when $uicideboy$ refused to tour with Seed of 6ix, a group consisting of Lord Infamous' two sons, that's when Paul says he started reaching out to the group about compensation for the use of his production. "We talked like two years ago, over a year ago," Paul shares. "They was like, 'We gon' take care of it,' this and that, you know? But, I never heard back. You know I'm a cool guy. I clear samples all the time. I'm clearing samples all the time. I'm not even tripping on that ’cause I know how it was when I was a kid tryna clear a sample, this and that. So, I'm not even tripping."

The Three 6 Mafia member also refuses to accept that he should be fine with the situation because $uicideboy$ were seemingly paying homage with their use of the records. "A lot of people don't really realize what's going on when they say paying homage," Paul continues. "If I was going to go and redo a Rolling Stones song right now and I called it paying homage, do you think Rolling Stones is going to look at it like I am paying homage or do you think that those niggas are going to be at my throat?"

As previously reported, DJ Paul and Juicy J filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against $uicideboy$ rappers Ruby Da Cherry and Scrim on June 25. In court documents, Paul and Juicy cite 35 tracks and accuse the duo of "illegally sampling and stealing" from Three 6 Mafia.

Attorneys for the legendary Memphis group claim $uicideboy$ have unlawfully used elements from songs such as “Mask and Da Glock,” “Mafia Niggaz (Yeah Hoe)” and “Smoked Out, Loced Out,” among others, to "trade off and profit from Three 6 Mafia’s original sound and hard-earned success in the hip-hop industry."

$uicideboy$ denied all allegations against them in court documents filed on Aug. 28. They claim they were given permission to use the copyrighted material by Juicy J himself. They also allege Three 6 does not own the copyright to many of the songs that they claim have been stolen from.

In addition, they also allege Juicy J never paid them "any fees, royalties or other compensation for their production services, unpublished beats and creative contributions" to Juicy's Highly Intoxicated and Shutdafuckup mixtapes. They claim Juicy "never presented, and $uicideboy$ never signed, any document transferring the rights of $uicideboy$ in these production services, unpublished beats and creative contributions."

Juicy and Paul are seeking $1,200,000 for "compensatory and actual damages, including [d]efendants’ profits from infringement." They are also asking for $5,250,000 in statutory damages.