Jas Prince launches new lawsuit in Drake royalties battle

Producer Jas Prince has launched a new lawsuit in his ongoing dispute over Drake's music royalties.

The hitmaker has been fighting for his cut of profits since 2014, when he took bosses at Bryan 'Birdman' Williams' label, Cash Money Records, to court.

He claimed he had discovered Drake and helped the Started from the Bottom star land a rapping and songwriting licensing deal with officials at Aspire Music Group. As part of the agreement, Prince alleged he would receive a portion of profits and advances generated by Drake's recordings.

Drake went on to sign a joint contract with Cash Money and Lil Wayne's subsidiary label, Young Money Entertainment, in 2009, but in 2013, Prince claimed he had not been receiving his cut, which allegedly amounted to $5 million .

He received an initial payment of $1 million , but the balance never arrived and he pursued court action with a breach of contract lawsuit. The suit was later dismissed and in October (15), it emerged the two parties had reached an undisclosed settlement.

Despite the agreement, it's been revealed Prince is still fighting for his fair share and is now going after Aspire co-owner Derrick Lawrence for payment.

According to TMZ.com, Prince and Lawrence have an agreement in place with Young Money, whereby executives hand over a third of the profits from Drake's music. The funds are then split again, with Aspire taking a third of the payout, and handing Jas Prince the rest.

However, he alleges Young Money officials have failed to pay up, and in the new suit, he accuses Lawrence of failing to pro-actively pursue payment, breaching a "best efforts" clause in their contract to ensure all parties receive the proper compensation. It is unclear how much Jas is seeking in the latest court battle.