Tupac's mother fights for songs

Afeni Shakur is seeking an injunction in a bankruptcy court claiming Death Row Records is attempting to sell material that belongs to his estate.

Unreleased material should have been turned over to the estate as part of a 1997 agreement, her lawyer said.

The court is expected to consider the request in the next month.

At the same time, it will decide whether Death Row should be allowed to release an album with the unreleased tracks to help pay its debts, according to Ms Shakur's lawyer Donald David.

The legal team representing Death Row Records was not available for comment.

Money problems

The label made stars of Shakur and Snoop Dogg, and was home to hip-hop super-producer Dr Dre in the early 1990s.

But its fortunes - and those of its owner, Marion "Suge" Knight - started to slide when Shakur was shot dead in 1996.

The rapper, whose hits include California Love and Ghetto Gospel, was in the passenger seat of Knight's car when the attack happened.

The pair had been involved in a fight in a Las Vegas hotel shortly before the shooting. The attack resulted in Knight being sent to prison for violating his parole.

After Shakur's death, Death Row and the rapper's family settled for an undisclosed sum amid allegations that the label had defrauded Shakur.

In 2005, Knight was ordered to pay $107m (£51.8m) to a woman who claimed she helped found the record label, but was forced out once Knight realised how lucrative it had become.

Knight sought bankruptcy protection in April 2006, claiming debts of more than $100m (£48.5m) for both himself and the record label.

Last month, the rap mogul placed his seven-bedroom home on the market for $6.2m (£3m) as part of his financial overhaul.