Rappers Snoop Dogg and Master P have joined forces with civil rights attorney Ben Crump to sue Walmart and Post Consumer Brands, claiming the companies sabotaged their cereal brand.
Crump announced this week the veteran hip-hop artists had launched a lawsuit accusing the retail giant and cereal manufacturer of hiding boxes of Snoop Cereal and incorrectly saying it was out of stock. The suit alleges it was all a concerted plot to set the brand, Broadus Foods, up for failure.
We CANNOT support Walmart and Post Foods if they do not support Black business! Building generational wealth is so important for the Black community. Their blatant disregard of the Master P and Snoop Dogg’s partnership is unacceptable! Black business is good business! pic.twitter.com/WIWB5piZEm
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) February 7, 2024
“They wouldn’t put the cereal on the aisles, they kept it in the back of the storeroom,” Crump said in a video posted on social media.
According to the legal complaints filed Tuesday in Minnesota’s Dakota County District Court, where Post is headquartered, the cereal manufacturer attempted to “choke Broadus Foods out of the market” because the rappers rejected an offer to sell their company to Post.
The Broadus Foods brand was first launched in 2022 when Snoop — whose real name is Calvin Broadus — teamed up with Master P in the hopes of “inspiring and creating opportunities” for minority-owned food products, according to the suit.
Snoop Cereal, their flagship product, soon became available in flavors such as Fruity Hoops with Marshmallows, Frosted Drizzlers and Cinnamon Toasteez.
But after later entering into an agreement with Post, Snoop Cereal was not treated as “equally as its own brand,” the suit claims, even though it sold well when placed on store shelves.
“This case shines a light on the steep challenges faced by minority-owned businesses in securing fair opportunities in the marketplace,” Crump said in a statement obtained by the Daily News on Thursday. “The actions by Post Foods and Walmart demonstrate cynical disregard and exploitation of minority entrepreneurs in the business world.”
“If this is how celebrities like Snoop Dogg and Master P are treated by corporate America, just imagine how lesser known Black entrepreneurs and small business owners are treated by powerful corporations,” the prominent lawyer added.
Walmart meanwhile said in a statement to the News they will “respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint.”
Post Consumer Brands did not return a Daily News request for comment but told NBC Los Angeles that while it “was excited to partner with Broadus Foods” and “made substantial investments in the business,” the company was “equally disappointed that consumer demand did not meet expectations.”