Nigerian music star Burna Boy is facing a legal dispute over the ownership of his older music catalogue. Burna Boy’s former and current management are locked in a battle over the legal rights to his old music. Reports state that the conflict started in 2024 after a deal that intended to help the star regain control over his recordings. The agreement sparked legal investigations leading to court proceedings in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
Aristokrat Records, a label he signed in 2011, is at the centre of the legal dispute. The records that played a major role in launching Burna Boy’s music career transferred rights to his early music recordings to his current music company, Spaceship Music. The latter is managed by his mother, Bose Ogulu.
According to reports, early hits like ”Tonight” and ”Like to Party” were moved between May and June 2024 in an effort to consolidate ownership under his current company.
The deal, however, has been challenged by 960 Music group which has a stake of 40% in Aristokrat Records. According to the company, the music sale couldn’t be fully legalised without approval since it controls only 60% of the music assets tied to the music catalogue.
The company executives claim the transaction was conducted with no consent and have asked the court to restore the original ownership structure of the music rights. They insisted that a partial stakeholder is not allowed to transfer full intellectual property ownership without an agreement from all right holders.
The matter has now been taken to the Federal High Court in Lagos and Port Harcourt, where legal experts say the judges will determine the legitimacy of the sale and clarify who ultimately holds the rights to Burna Boy’s early catalogue.
