Jay-Z wants to know just how much money his famous cognac line is making, and he’s filed a lawsuit against his partners at Bacardi to get that information.
In docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Jay-Z’s company, SC Liquor, is demanding total financial clarity from Bacardi when it comes to D’Usse … the top shelf cognac brand in which Jay and Bacardi are 50/50 partners.
Jay and the booze giant have co-owned D’Usse since 2011 … he regularly shouts out the brand in his songs, and even drank it from one of his Grammys once to promote it. However, the lawsuit makes it clear something about the partnership — officially named D’Usse LLC — isn’t sitting well.
In the docs, Jay-Z’s co. says it needs all books and records, the location of all warehouses storing D’Usse barrels, bottles and accessories … as well as all info regarding Bacardi’s physical inventory and its inventory process.
It’s unclear what’s prompting Jay to demand this info, but it is clear there’s a level of distrust between the partners. One sentence from the docs seems pretty telling: SC Liquor says it needs to “monitor the conduct of [Bacardi’s] business to protect SC’s rights as” a partner in the company.
We’ve reached out to Jay-Z and Bacardi for comment … so far, no word back.