Snoop Dogg is suing Pabst Brewing Company, claiming the beer-maker – famous for its Colt 45 and Pabst Blue Ribbon beers – and, now, its new overlords owe him millions in royalties related to a spin-off malt beverage.
The rapper, who filed the suit under his real name, Calvin Broadus Jr, claims a contract he signed when he agreed to become a brand ambassador for the brewing giant entitled him to 10% of the sale price of the company. Pabst was recently sold for an estimated $700m by a group of investors, including an American private-equity firm and one of the biggest beverage distributors in Russia.
Snoop Dogg signed the contract with Pabst in 2011, when the company began a campaign to promote Blast by Colt 45, which it described as “a premium malt beverage with natural fruit flavors and a kick that is uniquely Colt 45”.
The deal ran from January 2011 to January 2014; the investors bought Pabst last November.
Snoop Dogg’s complaint, filed in Los Angeles court on Monday, cited this section of his contract: “In the event that the Blast by Colt 45 brand or the entire Colt 45 brand family is sold … during the 3-year Term of the Agreement or within two (2) years following the end of the Term, Consultant [i.e. Mr. Broadus] will receive 10% of the net price of such sale.”
He is now suing Pabst for breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, conversion and intentional interference with contractual relations.
A spokesperson for Pabst told the Hollywood Reporter: “Pabst Brewing Company has been under new ownership and new management since November 2014.
“We have not been contacted by Snoop Dogg or his representatives about this issue. We are investigating the matter and would be happy to talk to Snoop or his representatives to try to get to the bottom of this.”
Earlier this month Pabst unveiled another rapper, OG Maco, as the new face of Colt 45.
- This article was amended on 9 June 2015. Due to an editing error, the new owner of Pabst Brewing Company was misidentified; the owner is Blue Ribbon Intermediate Holdings.
