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. Continued from D1. A representative for Death Row denied that ‘the company has’ mis- handled Shakur’s account, blaming the ‘rapper's ‘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 as a slew of lavish bills, including a $300,000 tab at the Peninsula Hotel 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 to. sue Death Row and bar the release of her son’s posthumous “Makaveli: The Don Killuminati” album, . Death Row’'s distributor Interscope Records worked out a-deal to pay - an immediate $3-million “nonre- fundable’? advance to Shakur’s es- BIZ: Rapper: Shakur’ ‘s Fan 4 “Tupac was one of the most successful, artistsiin. the Ping me + pba on seam merareneametnny — a) co ‘music business—and yet somehow, on the, day he: died, he had absolutely nothing to show forit, °F! : promised under his contract. ’ RICHARD FISCHBEIN cee Attorney and co-administrator of the rap star’ $ estate | a7 . . on 5 tes a wae " tate, Fischbein said: . ; ’ The papers were drawn up at a Nov. 1 ‘meeting between Shakur’s mother, Fischbein, Interscope co- founder Jimmy Tovine anda group of attorneys, Death ‘Row owner Marion “Suge” Knight was in jail at the time on a probation violation and could not attend the meeting. Death Row attorney | David Kenner wasalsonot present. - { During the meeting, Interscope’ 8 attorneys also pledged an addi-. illjoh in advances to be - paid before April and helped nego- . tional $2 m 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-: agrees. “It was Jimmy lovine who took the lead in getting thé 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 tc have adiscussion.” |. 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 ced wi with dozens of” complicated peat and conditions, .Shakur’s pact with Death Row is hand-writ- -ter ‘and just - three: ‘pages ‘long. Shakur signed “the agreement, Fischbein -suggeésts, ‘because. he _ was unhappy and had been incar- cerated for months on: a sex c-abube angled Legacy charge before Knight showed ‘up os ‘with apromise to bail himout..~’ ~. -: Sy “eis ‘contract’ is not like ‘any «other agreement I've ever seen in my life,” Fischbein said. “It's noth- We believe that Death Row withheld royalty payments. ing but toilet paper.” from Tupac and failed to deliver many of the advances . The agreement, which . granis -Death Row the right to release as many as four albums, spells out a series of advance payments promi - : 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 also 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 about ‘signing it. Ken- ner—whe was fired by Shakur about three weeks before the rapper ‘died—denied any conflict of interest, insisting that Shakur was repre- sented at the time by attorney. ~ Charles Ogletree. Ogletree could not be reached for comment Monday. It’s- unclear whether’ Shakur’s: mother would seek to have the handwritten contract disavowed, But Fischbein said Death Row has _ yet to provide the necessary books ~ that would allow the estate to Conduct an independent audit.