St. Lunatics

Several St. Lunatics Want Their Names Removed From A Lawsuit Against Nelly, Saying Their Attorney Went Rogue

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Just when it seemed the legal drama between Nelly and St. Lunatics couldn’t get any weirder, a new twist has entered the case. According to Billboard, three of the four members of the group listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed against Nelly for back pay have demanded to have their names taken off the suit, which they say was filed against their wishes.

The lawsuit, filed in September by Ali, City Spud, Kyjuan, and Murphy Lee, alleged that Nelly never properly credited his bandmates on hit songs such as “Country Grammar,” “Steal the Show,” “Thicky Thick Girl,” and “Wrap Sumden.” According to the suit, they were entitled to royalties from those songs they never received; they supposedly waited over 20 years to file suit due to their longstanding friend with Nelly.

On Sunday, October 6, however, friction within the group was thrown into doubt when Kyjuan, Lee, and Spud joined Nelly onstage at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special to perform the group’s standout songs like “Air Force Ones” and Lee’s “What Da Hook Gon Be.” Nelly even joked about it on Instagram, writing, “STL INVADES @amas …!!! An anyone who has a problem with that ‘Sue’ me…!!!”

Per Billboard, Nelly’s attorney N. Scott Rosenblum, wrote back to the lawyer who initially filed the suit, Gail M. Walton, to inform her that the three members of St. Lunatics “informed me that they did not authorize you to include them as plaintiffs… They are hereby demanding you remove their names forthwith.” Complying would leave Ali as the sole remaining plaintiff.

It’s probably just a coincidence that the suit was filed after Nelly sold half of his publishing for $50 million last July. We’re sure that has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Nelly Jokes About His Performance With St. Lunatics Despite The Fact That The Group Is Currently Suing Him

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A few days ago, it was revealed that Nelly would be joining the performance lineup of the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, and that he would be performing alongside Chingy, J-Kwon, and members of the St. Lunatics. Of course, those keeping up with recent Nelly news likely saw something strange there: Nelly and St. Lunatics would be performing together despite the fact that last month, it was revealed the group is suing Nelly.

Ahead of the performance, Nelly had a sense of humor about the situation, writing in an Instagram post, “STL INVADES @amas …!!! An anyone who has a problem with that ‘Sue’ me…!!! [shrugging emoji] [laughing emoji].”

Well, the show was last night, and indeed, the performance went on as planned, featuring a medley of hits that included “Air Force Ones,” “Ride Wit Me,” “Welcome To Atlanta,” “What Da Hook Gon Be,” “Right Thurr,” “Tipsy,” and “Hot In Herre.”

As for the lawsuit, St. Lunatics is suing Nelly over songwriting credits and royalties from his debut album, Country Grammar. The group (Ali, City Spud, Kyjuan, and Murphy Lee) claims they weren’t given proper credit on the album, meaning they haven’t been properly paid for the songs they say they helped co-write, including the album’s big hit, “Country Grammar.”

Nelly Is Being Sued By His Former Group, St. Lunatics, Over Unpaid Royalties From ‘Country Grammar’

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Millennials are having it rough lately; in addition to dismal employment, housing, and romantic prospects all around, our nostalgic memories of our childhoods — all we have to hold onto, really — have been upended a whole bunch in recent months.

The latest upheaval: Nelly is being sued by members of his former group, St. Lunatics, over songwriting credits and royalties from his hit debut album, Country Grammar. Released in 2000 to widespread acclaim and truly breathtaking commercial success — it spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — Country Grammar spawned three top-40 hits: “E.I.,” “Ride Wit Me,” and the title track. It also launched the St. Lunatics’ empire, which consisted of sneakers, energy drinks, clothing lines, and even an appearance in NBA Street Vol. 2 as playable characters.

Unfortunately, according to Ali, City Spud, Kyjuan, and Murphy Lee, Nelly did not give them fair credit on the album, keeping them from being properly paid for a number of its tracks which they say they helped co-write (the group’s sixth member, Slo Down, is not included as a plaintiff). Although various members are listed as co-writers throughout the album, they say they weren’t credited on “Country Grammar,” “Steal the Show,” “Thicky Thick Girl,” and “Wrap Sumden.”

Nelly has previously acknowledged that his friends wrote on those songs (it’s no secret that he was never the strongest lyricist in the group, and that they rallied behind him specifically to get their foot in the door as a collective). However, the lawsuit says, “Despite repeatedly promising plaintiffs that they would receive full recognition and credit… it eventually became clear that defendant Haynes had no intention of providing the plaintiffs with any such credit or recognition.”

According to Billboard, though, the case could be complicated by the St. Lunatics claiming ownership rather than infringement, as “copyright infringement lawsuits can be filed decades after an infringing song is released, disputes over copyright ownership face a stricter three-year statute of limitations.”

As for why it took the group so long to pursue legal action,they explain, “Unfortunately, plaintiffs, reasonably believing that their friend and former band member would never steal credit for writing the original compositions, did not initially pursue any legal remedies.” After retaining legal counsel and reaching out to Universal Music Publishing Group, they were referred to Nelly’s attorneys, who they say “expressly repudiated” their claims in 2021.

Nelly, of course, sold half of his catalog in 2023 for $50 million. He’s not just facing civil issues at the moment, either; he was arrested in August for possession of ecstasy.

Ali Never Wants To Work With Nelly Again: “He’s Far Behind On The Payments”

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During a recent interview, St. Lunatics’ Ali revealed that he doesn’t plan on performing alongside his former groupmate anytime in the near future. Allegedly, Nelly owes the St. Louis-born performer some money, and he’s done letting it slide. Ali also says that he doesn’t think Nelly has ever looked out for the wellbeing of his fellow St. Lunatics artists. He refuses to work with him again because according to him, “A tiger ain’t never gon’ change his stripes.”

When asked for an estimate of how much Nelly owes him, he says “it could be $90,000 or $70,000.” He goes on, “When that conversation happens I’ll get a check.” Ali tells VladTV, It’ll be $13,000. Now you’ll be f*cked up now because what is this $13,000 for? You owe me $91,000.“

Read More: Murphy Lee Says St. Lunatics Were “Threatened” Into Signing To Universal

Ali Says Nelly “Has No Real Raw Good Intentions For Others”

“What did you pay me for? At the end of it, it’s gonna be $66,000 because he’s far behind on the payments,” he continued. Ali then went on to describe how he thinks Nelly won’t ever change his ways, claiming that the artist has always only had his own best interest in mind. “A tiger ain’t never gon’ change his stripes,” he adds. “I watched it for 20 years and I’m the butt of the joke because it took me 20 years to realize it. I could put a never, ever behind it will I ever hit the stage or do anything with him.”

Ali goes on to say that Nelly “has no real raw good intentions for others. Not for us and we’ve all sat together and searched hard to try to find a time that didn’t benefit him. He got $50million, I’m happy for him. That’s what he wants. He wants a billion.” This isn’t the first time the St. Lunatics performer came forward to make claims about Nelly. Ali has said in the past that his own work made Nelly’s possible, even claiming that he “was writing [Nelly] a career.”

Read More: St. Lunatics’ Ali Claims Credit For Nelly’s Diamond-Selling “Country Grammar”

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The post Ali Never Wants To Work With Nelly Again: “He’s Far Behind On The Payments” appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Today In Hip Hop History: Nelly Dropped His Debut Album ‘Country Grammar’ 23 Years Ago

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On this day in Hip Hop history, St. Louis rap icon Nelly released his Grammy debut LP Country Grammar. Released by Universal Records, the unique pop-rap-country sound of this project struck well with consumers and critics alike peaking at #1 on both the Billboard 200 and Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop charts.

Whether it was intended or not, this album set the bar high for all other summertime albums to come in the new millennium. This mixture of Jason “Jay E” Epperson’s production and Nelly’s Missouri slang proved to be the perfect formula for a high energy album hosting some of the decade’s hottest party tracks.

The sing-along appeal of this project is what brought it so much commercial success. Along with topping the US music charts, this album also made chart appearances in Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, France, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. The album was also certified platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and of course the United States (where it sold 9,000,000 copies).

The album contained hit singles “Country Grammar” (which was nominated for a Grammy), “E.I.,” “Ride Wit Me” and “Batter Up” which all made international music chart appearances. Critics across the board hailed this album as a breakthrough in Hip Hop, never before had a project come from the Midwest with so much appeal to other regions of the country.

Following this album, Nelly grew to be one of the brightest stars of the 2000’s putting out multiple multi-platinum albums and winning a plethora of awards for his musical ability. He has also since had a successful career on-screen both in films and on television.

The post Today In Hip Hop History: Nelly Dropped His Debut Album ‘Country Grammar’ 23 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.

Nelly Songs: The Rapper’s Best Hits

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St. Louis native Nelly, also known as Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. distracted himself with music at a young age. He formed a group, St. Lunatics, with his high school friends: Kyjuan, Murphy Lee, Slo Down, City Spud, and Ali. Nelly’s pull to rap music started out as an avid listener to artists like Jay Z, Outkast, Run-DMC, LL Cool J, and Rakim. Further, he became assured that rap was the path he would assemble as his career. Here we have five of Nelly’s best records, and you’ll agree that these tracks still get the party started.

5. “Ride Wit Me” feat. St. Lunatics

Country Grammar, released in 2000, gave us “Ride Wit Me” featuring Nelly’s crew member and brother, City Spud from St. Lunatics. The song was produced by Dj Jay E, pushing the album to sell 10 million copies globally. The hook interpolates Bill Clinton’s strategy slogan “Hey, must be the Economy, Stupid!” Further, the intro interposes DJ Jimi’s ’92 hit “Where They At?”

4. “The Fix” ft. Jeremih

“The Fix” featured R&B singer Jeremih and became a hit at first listen. The DJ Mustard and Mike Free’s beat-mastering interpolates Marvin Gaye’s ’82 hit song “Sexual Healing.” Due to Nelly and Mustard being under the same division and publisher, clearing the track was less of a hassle. “The Fix” debuted on Billboard Hot 100 at No 86.

3. “Get Like Me” feat. Pharrell, Nicki Minaj

Next on the list is “Get Like Me” with Nick Minaj and Pharrell Williams. The megaproducer fuses his distinct producing style that uses a percussive beat. He subtly adds drum elements through the song in the background. The sound is evocative of the early 2010s era. The success of “Get Like Me” was unexpected but not surprising. With an all-star lineup like Nicki’s multifaceted skills and Pharrell’s unique production style, it was inevitable. MTV News’s Rob Markman reportedly praised the song and mentioned how complementary the trio was to each other.

2. “Hot In Herre”

Nelly delivers an upbeat, house party inspired by “Hot in Herre.” He was working hard to outplay his debut album on this second attempt, Nellyville, and succeeded. The mood-lifter comprises vocals from Dani Stevenson, his former labelmate at Universal. The hook inserts “Bustin’ Loose,” Chuck Brown’s ’79 single.

The Neptune-produced track implants the popular Go-Go sound from the ’70s, by way of Chuck Brown as aforementioned. Nelly instigates fun and a few double entendres to spice things up. His entry in his first verse is slick and evokes the highest level of nostalgia. He starts off, “I was like, good gracious, ass is bodacious,” and “Flirtatious, tryna show patience.”

1. “Dilemma” feat. Kelly Rowland

Last on the best of Nelly’s songs list is another gem from Nellyville. “Dilemma” featuring Kelly Rowland is a classic infusion of Soul, Rap, and Indie pop. When the music video dropped, fans of Destiny’s Child and Nelly sparked dating rumors. Their chemistry in the video sent the media into a whirlwind.

The best of Nelly’s songs are underrated and should be reviewed more often. He is a crucial player in Hip-Hop with his musical contributions. Does your best of Nelly’s songs list look like ours? Tell us in the comments.