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

Nelly has been sued by his former St. Lunatics group members for copyright infringement over uncredited and unpaid work on the rapper’s 2000 debut album “Country Grammar.”

St. Lunatics, consisting of Ali Jones (Ali), Torhi Harper (Murphy Lee), Robert Kyjuan (Kyjuan) and Lavell Webb (City Spud), filed suit against Nelly yesterday in New York Federal Court, alleging that Nelly did not properly credit them for their contributions to his breakthrough album that propelled him to the forefront of mainstream music in the early 2000s.

Representatives for Nelly did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment.

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The complaint, reviewed by Variety, claims that Nelly and St. Lunatics were childhood friends who grew up together in St. Louis, MO and began writing songs together in the mid-90s. Nelly and St. Lunatics were signed separate record deals at UMG, with the former planning to release his album first and the latter stating that they substantially contributed writing to his project.

Following the release of “Country Grammar,” St. Lunatics repeatedly contacted Nelly concerning their publishing and writing on the album and were assured they would receive proper credit. But at some point in 2020, they learned that Nelly had allegedly been lying to them and that he had taken full credit for their work.

The members of St. Lunatics became aware of their improper crediting after Willie Woods, Jr. filed a suit in 2020 demanding royalties for his work on the single “Ride Wit Me.” Upon learning that others were not given credit, St. Lunatics explored their legal options and sent a letter to UMG claiming ownership over their work, but were rebuffed by Nelly through his legal representatives. Because of this, St. Lunatics believe that Nelly never had any intention of giving them credit.

The eight songs in question include tracks like “Batter Up,” “Steal the Show” and “Country Grammar,” which became a smash hit and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

As reported by Billboard, it’s notable that St. Lunatics are filing a copyright infringement suit as opposed to a copyright ownership suit, which has a statute of limitations of three years. Nelly’s attorneys will likely claim that this suit falls under copyright ownership, which would render the suit invalid.