Rap one-percenter Jay Z seems to have hit a rough patch with his family thanks to sister-in-law Solange, but on the bright side, it looks as if one conflict in his life has now been resolved: he has dropped his criminal case against producer Chauncey Mahan over some archival master recordings. In turn, the Beverly Hills Police Department has abandoned its extortion investigation against Mahan.
The case surrounds a trove of master recordings made between 1998 and 2002. They have been in Mahan's possession ever since, and he recently asked for $100,000 to cover the storage costs, apparently threatening to put them up for auction. Mahan was questioned for possible extortion while the cops took the tapes until ownership was determined.
Jay Z's camp filed a grand larceny complaint against Mahan, but TMZ reports that they've now dropped the case. The led the police to stop their investigation.
The case isn't entirely closed, however, since the cops still have the confiscated tapes. They will apparently keep hold of the recordings until a civil judge decides who owns them. Reports have suggested the tapes are worth millions.
Soon after this case emerged, Mahan told his side of the story. He claimed that, more than a decade ago, Jay Z was "a stupid kid smoking blunts," and that he had since repeatedly tried to give the recordings back. He eventually asked for $100,000 to cover the ongoing storage costs.
The case surrounds a trove of master recordings made between 1998 and 2002. They have been in Mahan's possession ever since, and he recently asked for $100,000 to cover the storage costs, apparently threatening to put them up for auction. Mahan was questioned for possible extortion while the cops took the tapes until ownership was determined.
Jay Z's camp filed a grand larceny complaint against Mahan, but TMZ reports that they've now dropped the case. The led the police to stop their investigation.
The case isn't entirely closed, however, since the cops still have the confiscated tapes. They will apparently keep hold of the recordings until a civil judge decides who owns them. Reports have suggested the tapes are worth millions.
Soon after this case emerged, Mahan told his side of the story. He claimed that, more than a decade ago, Jay Z was "a stupid kid smoking blunts," and that he had since repeatedly tried to give the recordings back. He eventually asked for $100,000 to cover the ongoing storage costs.