A legal war has begun over the ownership of Grammy award winning artiste, Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, known popularly as Burna Boy’s early musical catalogue, pitting his former label and his current management against each other in a series of alleged backroom deals.

At the centre of this firestorm is a mid-2024 transaction that was supposed to be a triumphant homecoming but has now triggered both a criminal investigation and high-stakes lawsuits in the Federal High Court of Lagos and Port Harcourt.

On one side is the African Giant hitmaker trying to bring home his babies (owning his masters); on the other hand is the venture capitalist – 960 Music Group, which owns a 40 per cent stake in Aristokrat Records – who funded his rise, claiming they were cut out of the deal.

Checks revealed that the conflict began in May/June 2024, when Aristokrat Records, the label that launched Burna Boy’s career in 2011, allegedly sold his historical intellectual property (IP) and master recordings – the foundational hits like Like to Party and Tonight – from Aristokrat Music to his current imprint, Spaceship Music, owned by Burna Boy and managed by his mother, Bose Ogulu.

However, 960 Music Group, which owns a 40 per cent equity stake in Aristokrat Records, claimed the sale was illegal; therefore, took the matter to the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Port Harcourt respectively, claiming the sale happened without its consent.

“You cannot sell 100 percent of an asset when you only own 60 percent of the soul. This was a coordinated effort to move the IP under the radar, and we are asking the court to bring those assets back,” an executive of 1960 Music said.

In a move that has sent shockwaves through the industry, 960 Music approached a court in Port Harcourt to declare the sale null and void. They argued that as major shareholders, the sale of the company’s crown jewel assets was finalised without their knowledge, consent, or board approval.

Beyond the civil suit, the matter has turned into a criminal case, with the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) formally filing charges against Piriye Isokrari, founder of Aristokrat Records, following an intensive investigation into allegations of financial misconduct and fraud leveled against him by 960 Music Group. (Guardian)