Nelly Sued by Former Group St. Lunatics For Uncredited Work On His Debut Album ‘Country Grammar’

Nelly Sued by Former Group St. Lunatics For Uncredited Work On His Debut Album ‘Country Grammar’

Nelly has found himself at the center of a lawsuit from some of his childhood friends.

According to reports, On Wednesday (Sept. 18) former hip hop group St. Lunatics — Ali Jones (Ali), Torhi Harper (Murphy Lee), Robert Kyjuan (Kyjuan) and Lavell Webb (City Spud) — filed a lawsuit against Nelly for copyright infringement over uncredited and unpaid work on Country Grammar. The men claim that Nelly failed to properly credit them for 8 songs they contributed to on his 2000 debut album.

The project features 17 tracks, including hit records “Ride wit Me,” “Country Grammar (Hot Shit),” and “E.I.” Country Grammar was well received by critics and the public, sitting at the top of the Billboard 200 chart for five consecutive weeks.

Per the lawsuit, St. Lunatics repeatedly contacted Nelly about their publishing and writing on the album and were told they’d receive proper credit. However, in 2020 they learned Nelly allegedly lied about giving them credit when Willie Woods, Jr. filed a suit demanding royalties for his work on “Ride Wit Me.” The lawsuit prompted the former group to send a letter to UMG seeking ownership of their own work. However, they were shut down by Nelly’s rep, which only heightened their belief that their former friend never intended to give them any credit.

They’re now suing for copyright infringement.

This isn’t the first time Nelly has butted heads with St. Lunatic. In 2021, St. Lunatic’s member Ali Jones claimed Nelly hustled the group and abandoned them when he signed with UMG.

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