Snoop Dogg and Master P are taking legal action against Walmart and Post Foods, arguing that the companies prevented their cereal brand from reaching consumers.
In a Tuesday, February 6, complaint obtained by Us Weekly, the rappers claimed that Post Foods, which has a portfolio of popular cereal brands including Honey Bunches of Oats and Bran Flakes, “agreed to treat Snoop Cereal as one of its own brands and produce and distribute the cereal to the major retailers” after initially offering to buy the brand outright.
Snoop, 52, and Master P, 53, who started Broadus Foods in 2022 with the goal of “creating opportunities for minority-owned food products and brands,” launched Snoop Cereal at Walmart in July 2023.
The product comes in three flavors — fruity hoopz with marshmallows, frosted drizzlers and cinnamon toasteez — with a tagline that reads, “bussin [and] yummy for the tummy,” on the brand’s official website.
Despite Snoop and Master P’s claim that their cereal became an “immediate success,” customers soon complained that they were unable to find the item in stores.
“Many Walmart stores showed online and in the Walmart employee’s in-store application that Snoop Cereal was sold out or out of stock. However, upon further investigation by store employees, each of these stores had several boxes of Snoop Cereal in their stockrooms that were coded to not be put out on the store shelves,” the suit alleges. “Unlike the other Post branded boxes of cereal around them, these Snoop Cereal boxes had been in the stockrooms for months without ever being made available to customers.”
Snoop and Master P further claimed that Post Foods “worked with Walmart to ensure that none of the boxes of Snoop Cereal would ever appear on the store shelves,” which resulted in a loss of profits for Broadus foods.
“The only reason Snoop Cereal would not sell was because Post and Walmart intentionally kept it from reaching the market,” the filing reads.
A Walmart spokesperson told Us in a statement: “Walmart 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. We will respond as appropriate with the Court once we are served with the complaint.”
Meanwhile, Post Brands told Us in a statement: “Post Consumer Brands was excited to partner with Broadus Foods and we made substantial investments in the business. We were equally disappointed that consumer demand did not meet expectations.”
Snoop and Master P are seeking a jury trial and damages exceeding $50,000. Both musicians are being represented by Ben Crump.
“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 shared via X on Wednesday, February 7. “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.”
In a Wednesday news conference announcing the lawsuit, Master P told reporters that the legal action is about minority-owned companies “getting a fair share.”
He added, per NPR, “Change is coming … and it’s going to start with [me and Snoop.]”
