Fruit liquor dispute leaves bad taste in Snoop's mouth
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He's famed for hit singles including “Gin & Juice,” but rapper Snoop Dogg's role as ambassador for a line of fruit-flavored liquors has gone sour.
Snoop Dogg has sued Pabst Brewing Co., which produces Pabst Blue Ribbon and Colt 45, claiming that he is entitled to a cut of the proceeds from Pabst's sale to a group of investors shortly after his ambassador role ended. He was an ambassador between 2011 and 2014 for Colt 45's Blast brand of fruit-flavored drinks.
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That deal was estimated at $700 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Snoop Dogg — real name Calvin Broadus Jr. — claims that a “phantom equity clause” in his contract with the brewery entitled him to a 10% share of the net price of any sale of the brands within two years of the end of the term of his contract as brand ambassador, the Hollywood Reporter reported.
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, a spokesman for Pabst said the company had not been contacted by Snoop Dogg or his representatives about the 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,” the statement said.
Who knows whether the case will go to court, be settled, or whether Snoop may just decide to “drop it like it's hot?”
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