More than two decades after the release of Nelly’s breakthrough album Country Grammar, the rapper is now facing a lawsuit from his former groupmates, the St. Lunatics. The group members claim they were unfairly left out of songwriting credits and royalty payments for their contributions to the album.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, alleges that Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes, assured his St. Lunatics groupmates that they would be compensated for their work on the 2000 album, which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The lawsuit claims that Nelly misled his bandmates over the years, leading them to believe they would receive their share of the financial success but never following through.
The plaintiffs—Ali (Ali Jones), Murphy Lee (Tohri Harper), Kyjuan (Robert Kyjuan), and City Spud (Lavell Webb)—say they trusted Nelly as a friend and collaborator but were left out of proper recognition for their contributions. The complaint details that while City Spud was credited as a co-writer and co-performer on the hit single “Ride Wit Me,” other members of the group were not given credit for their involvement in songs such as “Steal the Show,” “Batter Up,” and “Wrap Sumden.”
In particular, the group claims they were involved in writing the title track Country Grammar, which reached No. 7 on the singles chart. Public records credit only Nelly and producer Jason Epperson for the song.
The group says they trusted Nelly’s promises of credit and compensation, but after realizing they had not received proper royalties, they hired an attorney who reached out to Universal Music Publishing Group. In 2021, Nelly’s legal team rejected the group’s claims, prompting the lawsuit.
The case may face a challenge due to time limits on copyright ownership disputes, which typically have a three-year statute of limitations. Nelly’s legal team is expected to argue that the lawsuit was filed too late, while the St. Lunatics maintain the issue involves copyright infringement, which could allow for a longer timeline.
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