Snoop Dogg and Master P are suing Walmart and Post Foods after they allegedly sabotaged the rollout of the pair's signature breakfast cereal last year.
Their lawsuit claims that the companies collaborated to keep Snoop Cereal off Walmart's shelves even though it was well-received by consumers.
'This case shines a light on the steep challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in securing fair opportunities,' the pair's attorney Ben Crump said.
The two rappers, real names Calvin Broadus and Percy Miller, started a company called Broadus Foods and entered into a partnership and promotion deal with Post.
The larger company wanted to buy Broadus Foods, but Snoop Dogg and Master P wanted to maintain ownership of the company. The suit says the two parties eventually decided to split the profits.
"Post agreed to treat Snoop Cereal as one of its own brands," the lawsuit claims.
"Unbeknownst to Broadus Foods, Post was not on board with their goals and dreams and had no intention of treating Snoop Cereal equally as its own brands… Post ensured that Snoop Cereal would not be available to consumers or that it would incur exorbitant costs that would eliminate any profit to Broadus Foods."
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The lawsuit's main example of Post's alleged misconduct involved Walmart.
"Because the largest seller of Post's products is Walmart, Snoop cereal should have been placed on Walmart's shelves right next to dozens of other Post branded cereal," the suit claims.
Although Walmart's website reportedly indicated that many stores were sold out of Snoop Cereal, the lawsuit claims that was false.
"Each of these stores had several boxes of Snoop Cereal in their stockrooms that were coded to not be put out on store shelves," the court document says.
Snoop Dogg and Master P claim this alleged interference prevented Broadus Foods from successfully launching the cereal brand. They're requesting $50,000 in restitution for lost profits, marketing expenses, legal costs and more. They're also seeking a jury trial.
Snoop Dogg and Master P are seeking $50,000 in damages from Walmart and Post.
The pair is being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who released a statement about the lawsuit.
"This case shines a light on the steep challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in securing fair opportunities in the marketplace," the attorney said in a statement.
"The actions by Post Foods and Walmart demonstrate cynical disregard and exploitation of minority entrepreneurs in the business world. If this is how celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Master P are treated by corporate America, just imagine how lesser known Black entrepreneurs and small business owners are treated by powerful corporations."
Snoop Dogg is slated to provide commentary during NBC's broadcasts of the 2024 Olympics.
A spokesperson for Post provided a statement about the lawsuit to Q.
"Post Consumer Brands was excited to partner with Broadus Foods and we made substantial investments in the business," they said. "We were equally disappointed that consumer demand did not meet expectations."
Q also received a statement from a Walmart spokesperson.
"Walmart values our relationships with our suppliers, and we have a strong history of supporting entrepreneurs," they said. "Many factors affect the sales of any given product, including consumer demand, seasonality, and price to name a few. We will respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint."
The lawsuit was filed after it was announced that Snoop Dogg will provide commentary during NBC's broadcasts of the 2024 Olympics.
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