A legal battle has erupted over the ownership of Grammy Award-winning singer Burna Boy’s early music catalogue, with his former record label and his current imprint locked in a high-stakes dispute involving allegations of fraud and improper corporate dealings.
The controversy centres on a transaction allegedly executed in mid-2024, which has since sparked both criminal investigations and multiple lawsuits before the Federal High Courts in Lagos and Port Harcourt.
Spaceship Music vs 960 Music Group
The dispute traces back to May/June 2024, when Aristokrat Music—the label that signed Burna Boy in 2011—allegedly sold the artist’s historical intellectual property and master recordings to Spaceship Music, Burna Boy’s current label, led by the singer and his mother, Bose Ogulu.
However, 960 Music Group, which holds a 40 per cent equity stake in Aristokrat Music, has challenged the transaction, insisting it was carried out unlawfully.
In response, 960 Music filed an action before a Port Harcourt court, seeking an order declaring the sale null and void. The company argues that, as a major shareholder, it was excluded from the decision, claiming the sale of what it described as the company’s “crown jewel” assets was concluded without its knowledge, consent or board approval.
Criminal Allegations and Police Investigation
Beyond the civil litigation, the dispute has escalated into a criminal case. The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) has filed charges against Piriye Isokrari, founder of Aristokrat Records, following an investigation into allegations of financial misconduct raised by 960 Music Group.
Isokrari is accused of fraudulent conversion, with claims that proceeds from the multi-million-dollar sale were diverted for personal use or channelled outside the company’s official accounts. He is also alleged to have breached his fiduciary duty as chief executive.
According to 960 Music, Isokrari bypassed established corporate governance structures to strike what it described as a “private deal” with Spaceship Music, effectively undermining the interests of its partners.
‘Bring Those Assets Back’
An unnamed executive of 960 Music said the company was compelled to involve law-enforcement authorities after internal remedies failed.
“You cannot sell 100 per cent of an asset when you only have the authority to manage the company, not bypass the owners of 40 per cent of its soul. This was a coordinated effort to move the IP under the radar, and we are asking the court to bring those assets back,” the executive said.
Implications for Burna Boy
For Burna Boy, who won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2021, the dispute presents a complex legal challenge. While the 2024 deal was reportedly aimed at granting him full control of his early masters—a common objective among global artists—the alleged procedural breaches by Aristokrat Music have placed the catalogue in legal uncertainty.
Should the Port Harcourt court rule in favour of 960 Music Group, Spaceship Music could be compelled to relinquish rights to some of Burna Boy’s early hits, including Like to Party and Tonight, returning them to the original partners.
