Rap-A-Lot Records founder, J. Prince, and one of his employees recently filed a defamation lawsuit against BET, Apple and Viacom over a previously aired episode of their "American Gangster" series.

According to InformationWeek, Prince (real name: James Smith) and employee Thomas Randle claim that during the specified episode, they were falsely portrayed as murders.

In the suit, the pair claims that their pictures appeared in on "American Gangster" promotional spots with the word "murderers" stamped over the photos. They say that during the episode that aired October 10, they were falsely linked to a notorious Chicago street gang called The Gangster Disciples.

"Neither Mr. Prince nor Mr. Randall [sic] has ever been convicted of any felony offenses, let alone murder," an attorney for Prince and Randle stated in court documents filed Wednesday December 12) in U.S. District Court in Houston.

Apple is named in the lawsuit because after the show's original air date, the computer maker made available over its iTunes download service the episode for download.

Prince claims the show's widespread distribution via TV and online has damaged his hard earned reputation as a respectable businessman.

BET's "American Gangster" series profiles the rise and fall of the country's most notorious Black criminals including the "Frank Lucas" character depicted in the recent blockbuster film of the same name, Harlem kingpin Nicky Barnes and Blackhand Entertainment founder Chaz Williams, among others.