Grammy-winning Afro-fusion star Burna Boy’s early music catalogue is at the center of a legal dispute following a challenge by minority shareholder 960 Music Group.
The company, which holds a 40% stake in Burna Boy’s former label, Aristokrat Music, has filed a lawsuit seeking to annul the sale of the singer’s early recordings to his current label, Spaceship Music, owned by Burna Boy and his mother-manager, Bose Ogulu.
Court documents indicate that Aristokrat Music transferred the intellectual property and master recordings from Burna Boy’s formative years to Spaceship Music in a deal executed between May and June 2024. 960 Music Group claims it was completely sidelined, arguing that the sale was carried out without its knowledge, consent, or board approval.
According to Channels TV, the firm has filed the suit at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, calling the catalogue Aristokrat’s “crown jewel asset.”
The civil dispute has also sparked criminal investigations. The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) has filed charges against Aristokrat Records CEO Piriye Isokrari, accusing him of fraudulent conversion and breach of fiduciary duty. Investigators allege that proceeds from the sale were misappropriated or diverted outside company accounts.
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960 Music alleges that Isokrari bypassed proper corporate governance to finalize a private deal with Spaceship Music, effectively undermining minority shareholder rights.
If the court rules in favour of 960 Music, Spaceship Music may be compelled to surrender the rights to Burna Boy’s early works, leaving the singer’s foundational hits in legal uncertainty.