(The Hill) — Rappers Snoop Dogg and Master P have filed a lawsuit against Walmart and Post Consumer Brands for allegedly keeping their cereal from shelves in an attempt to sabotage their brand.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday, attorneys outlined that in 2022, Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg) and Percy Miller (Master P) created Broadus Foods to help provide affordable, high quality breakfast foods, including Snoop Cereal.
The suit alleges that when Broadus and Miller approached Post, the company attempted to buy the brand outright. The two rappers rejected the offer, believing it would “destroy the whole purpose of leaving the company to their families.”
Still, the suit said, the company “pretended” to be on board with the goal of Broadus Foods, and in December 2022 the rappers and Post entered a partnership promotion agreement in which Post would manufacture, market, distribute and sell Snoop Cereal.
However, while the cereal was launched in Walmart stores last July, the lawsuit alleges that within a few months customers could no longer find the cereal on shelves.
Instead, the suit says, stores in 20 different states kept boxes of Snoop Cereal in their stockrooms and coded to not be put on shelves.
The boxes had been in the stockrooms for months without ever being made available to customers, the suit alleges.
The lawsuit also alleges that on its website, Walmart raised the price of the cereal to more than $10 a box.
But the “diabolical” handling of the brand didn’t stop there, the lawsuit says. Snoop Cereal was reportedly placed in “unconventional” sections, including the baby section, and sold at heavily discounted prices. The result was financial losses from the sale of Snoop Cereal.
The two rappers are now being represented by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
In a press conference this week, Crump said the company’s actions are in “blatant disregard” of a Black-owned business.
Broadus Foods, according to the lawsuit, hopes to inspire economic empowerment among minorities while also supporting charities addressing hunger and homelessness.
“This case shines a light on the steep challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in securing fair opportunities in the marketplace,” said Crump. “The actions by Post Foods and Walmart demonstrate cynical disregard and exploitation of minority entrepreneurs in the business world.”
In a statement to The Hill, a Walmart spokesperson said the company “values our relationships with our suppliers, and we have a strong history of supporting entrepreneurs.”
“Many factors affect the sales of any given product, including consumer demand, seasonality, and price to name a few,” they added. “We will respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint.”
The Hill has also reached out to Post Brands for comment.
