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e | THE BIZ: Rapper Shakur’s Tangled Legacy Cositinved from D1 A representative for Death Row denied that the company has mis- handled Shakur’s account, blaming the rapper’a debts on his own extravagant spending habits. In the year preceding his slay- ing, Death Row had advanced Shakur large sums of cash to buy several cars for himself and a house for his mother—funds that the rapper was required to pay back, Death Row sources said. Shakur also charged to the com- pany lease-payments for three residences as well es a slew of lavish bills, including a $300,000 tab at the Peninsula Hote) and hundreds of thousands of dollars in invoices for jewelry, furniture, se- curity and limo service, sources said. In addition, Shakur ran up more , than $2 million in advances for recording and video costs—which, according to standard industry practice, must be recouped by the record company before his account can turn a profit, Death Row sources said, Nevertheless, when Shakur's mother threatened in October ta sue Death Row and bar the release of her son's posthumous “Makaveli: The Don Killuminati” album, Death Row’s disiributor Interscope Records worked out a deal to pay an immediate $3-million “nonre- fundable” advance to Shakur’s es- ‘Tupac was one of the most successful artists in the - music business—and yet somehow, on the day he dled, he had absolutely nothing to show forit. . . . We belleve that Death Row withheld royalty payments from Tupac and failed to deliver many of the advances : promised under his contract.’ RICHARD FISCHBEIN Attorney and co-administrator of the rap star's estate a rn | _— tate, Fischbein said. The papers were drawn up at a Nov. 1 meeting between Shakur’s mother, Fischbein, Interscope co- founder Jimmy Tovine and a group of attorneys. Death Row owner Marion “Suge” Knight was in jaf the time on a probation violdtion and could not attend the meeting. Death Row attorney was also not present. During the meeting, Injerscope’s attorneys also pledged/an addi- tional $2 million in advances to be paid before April and helped nego- tiate an upgrade in the royalty rate (from 12% to 18%) paid to her son for past releases. Fischbein insists that Interscope attorneys forgave about 50% of the $4.9-million debt—a point with which Death Row adamantly dis- ees. “Tt was Jimmy lovine who took the lead in getting the ball rolling to straighten this mess out,” Fisch- bein said. “Nothing would have happened if it wasn’t for him. Death Row never even came to the. table to havea discussion.” Shakur’s mother has also cast doubt on the validity of the record- ing contract that Death Row struck. with her son on Sept. 16, 1995. Unlike a standard recording agreement, typically thick and laced with dozens of complicated terms and conditions, Shakur's pact with Death Row is hand-writ- ten and just three pages long. Shakur signed the agreement, Fischbein suggests, because he was unhappy and had been incar- cerated for months on a sex abuse charge before Knight showed up. Suk promise to bed him out “This contract {s not ike any ” other agreement I’ve ever seen in my life,” Pischbein said. “It’s noth- ing but toilet paper.” The agreement, which grants Death Row the right to release a3 many as four albums, spells out a series of advance payments prom- ised to Shakur—many of which Fischbein alleges the rapper never received. Fischbein also complains that Shakur did not have proper repre- sentation when he signed the agreement. According to Fisch- bein, the rapper appears to have been represented by Kenner, who aiso was the attorney for Knight and Death Row at the time. Fischbein accuses of Kenner of having a conflict of interest when he drafted the contract and gave advice to Shakur abdut signing it, Ken- ner—who was fired by Shakur the time by attorney letree could not would seek to have the writtens contract disavowed. But Fischbein said Death Row has yet to provide the necessary books that would allow the estate to conduct an independent audit. -