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Nelly has been sued by his former group, the St. Lunatics, for allegedly lying about giving them credit and royalties from his debut album.
According to a report Billboard published on Thursday, September 19, attorneys for the St. Louis-based group filed a lawsuit against the artist, born Cornell Haynes, and claimed he "manipulated" them into believing that he would give them writing credits and pay them for their work on his 2000 studio album Country Grammar. The plaintiffs include Ali (Ali Jones), City Spud (Lavell Webb), Kyjuan (Robert Kyjuan) and Murphy Lee (Tohri Harper). Former member Slo Down (Corey Edwards) is not involved with the case.
The St. Lunatics consisted of Nelly and his high school friends. They released songs like "Gimme What U Got" prior to Nelly's solo career and appeared on several hit songs from his debut album. During and after the recording sessions for Country Grammar, the group claimed Nelly “privately and publicly acknowledged that plaintiffs were the lyric writers” and “promised to ensure that plaintiffs received writing and publishing credit.” However, over two decades later, members say the rapper was "lying to them the entire time."
“Despite repeatedly promising plaintiffs that they would receive full recognition and credit… it eventually became clear that defendant Haynes had no intention of providing the plaintiffs with any such credit or recognition,” the group’s attorneys wrote.
City Spud had a memorable verse on "Ride Wit Me" while Ali and Murphy Lee appeared on "Batter Up." According to the lawsuit, the group also contributed to the title track along with other songs like “Wrap Sumden," “Steal the Show,” and “Thicky Thick Girl." Once they realized they were receiving payment, the St. Lunatics hired an attorney who reached out to Universal Music Publishing Group. The lawyer's letter was redirected to Nelly’s attorneys, who said the group “expressly repudiated” their claims to credit in 2021.
The St. Lunatics are suing for copyright infringement, which can be filed years after the songs in question are released. However, Nelly's legal team could likely argue that the case is due to copyright ownership, which has a statute of limitation of three years. In the end, the group's attorney Precious Felder Gates said her clients want to reach a "harmonious resolution."
"If not, we will pursue all legal remedies afforded to our clients," she said.
As of this report, Nelly's attorneys have not commented on the lawsuit.