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Swizz Beatz, Timbaland Sue TikTok Rival Triller for $28M Over ‘Verzuz’

A $28 million lawsuit filed by producers contends that Triller defaulted on its monthly installment agreement in January.

Timbaland and Swizz Beatz filed a $28 million lawsuit against embattled social media app Triller on Tuesday, alleging that the company has missed several payments to the pair since acquiring their live-streamed DJ battle show Verzuz. The music producers sold Verzuz, originally a remote Instagram show launched in the midst of the pandemic, to Triller for an undisclosed sum in January 2021. But the company defaulted on the agreement in January 2022 after making only two scheduled payments, according to the complaint. A subsequent settlement deal, made a month later and involving an $18 million payment within a month, followed by $1 million monthly installments afterward, was also breached, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Los Angeles filing is just the latest grievance to be publicly aired against Triller; last week, The Washington Post reported that dozens of Black creators recruited to its platform since last year had alleged nonpayment by the company, leaving many of them mired in debt.