Dr Dre investigates unpaid royalties

Rap star Dr Dre has started legal proceedings to find out how much Death Row Records Inc owes him in unpaid royalties.

According to Billboard, Dre wants to establish the value of a claim for unpaid royalties accrued since the record label filed for bankruptcy in April 2006.

Dre's claims are in relation to his seminal LP The Chronic, which launched Death Row into the mainstream at the start of the '90s.

He has contacted the US Bankruptcy Court to request documents regarding the sale of his records and agreements over compilation albums made by the label.

Although Dre handed over a 50% share in the ownership of Death Row in 1996, he retained the right to receive royalties on recordings made before the deal.

The hip-hop star claims Death Row Records has not fulfilled its part of the agreement.