NEWS
Nelly has been sued by his former group the St. Lunatics over what they claim is uncredited work on his Country Grammar album.
The group, consisting of Ali Jones (Ali), Torhi Harper (Murphy Lee), Robert Kyjuan (Kyjuan) and Nelly’s brother Lavell Webb (City Spud), filed the copyright infringement suit against Nelly on Wednesday (September 18).
The claim, which was made in New York Federal Court, asserts that the superstar didn’t credit them for their work on his 2000 album.
The claim revolves around their publishing and writing on the album.
This isn’t the first time St. Lunatics have spoken out against Nelly’s alleged impropriety regarding their artistic contributions to their work.
In 2023, Ali vowed he’d never perform with Nelly ever again because of money he owed the band.
Ali Jones sat down with VladTV for an interview in August of that year and opened up about Nelly allegedly going for months at a time without paying him what he was owed.
“I’ll say like it could be $90,000 or $70,000,” he estimated. “When that conversation happens I’ll get a check. It’ll be $13,000. Now you’ll be fucked up now because what is this $13,000 for? You owe me $91,000.”
He concluded: “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.”
The St. Louis native blasted Nelly for the lack of communication on his end and then blamed an outsider for trying to divide Nelly from the group.
Ali went on to declare that he’s “never” going to reunite with Nelly or hit the stage to perform with him again in the future.
“A tiger ain’t never gon’ change his stripes,” he said. “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.”
He added: “He 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 $50 million, I’m happy for him. That’s what he wants. He wants a billion.”
The $50 million Ali was referencing is the reported figure Nelly was paid for selling half of his music catalog back in June. The deal included eight albums spanning a string of hits, a lot of which played a crucial role in elevating 21st-century Hip Hop and R&B.
Tom Morello has called off two scheduled performances as he focuses on supporting his mother following her recent hospital stay.
In a message shared on Instagram on Thursday, the Rage Against the Machine guitarist revealed that he was flying back to the United States to be with his 102 year old mother, Mary Morello, and help care for her.
"Dear friends, fans and comrades, my dear mom, Mary Morello is back in the hospital and I'm headed home to help look after her," he wrote. "Rocking the UK & Europe with you all this summer has been incredible, and I can't wait to be back with you and continue this movement that we started. With much love, unity and power."
The guitarist had been scheduled to perform at the Tons Of Rock Festival in Oslo, Norway, along with the BBK Music Legends Festival in Bilbao, Spain this weekend.
Earlier this month, Morello also cancelled planned appearances in London and Paris, with ticket holders offered refunds through their original point of purchase. However, he still made it to the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands.
"I am sorry I had to miss a few shows due to my mom's health," the 62 year old noted. "The incredibly resilient, indefatigable Mary Morello at 102 is now feeling somewhat better and has ordered me back into the fray, charging me with rocking you and fighting fascism six strings at a time."
At this point, Morello has not announced when he expects to return to the stage.
Mary Morello, the musician's mother, built a career as a teacher and activist. She also helped establish the anti censorship organization Parents for Rock and Rap during the late 1980s.
