Following their historic reunion at the 50th Anniversary American Music Awards last Sunday, St. The Lunatics say they never authorized a lawsuit against Nelly alleging he denied them songwriting credit.
In a letter written on September 24, obtained by PEOPLE, attorney N. Scott Rosenblum wrote that members of St. Lunatics’ Murphy Lee, Kyjuan and City Spud “did not consent” to being named as plaintiffs in the suit. “They hereby request that you remove their names immediately,” the letter said.
All three men who asked for their suits to be removed were members who joined Nelly on stage for the pre-recorded AMAs performance.
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Nelly at the ACM Honors in Nashville in August 2023.
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Since three of the four originally named members have withdrawn their names, the lawsuit is now between Ali (born Ali Jones) and Nelly (born Cornell Haynes).
The original lawsuit alleges that Nelly, 49, “did not intend to give plaintiffs any credit or recognition” for their contributions to his acclaimed 2000 solo debut. Grammar of the country. The complaint, obtained by PEOPLE, claims that “not only [Nelly] fraudulently represent to others that he was the writer and/or creator [songs]he also . . . allowed other individuals within his circle to receive credit and publishing income for songs written by plaintiffs.”
Nelly was sued by former colleagues from the band St. Lunatics over claims he denied them songwriting credit on his 2000 debut album.
Childhood friends Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee (born Torhi Harper), Kyjuan (born Robert Kyjuan Cleveland) and Webb founded St. Lunatics 1993. The lawsuit alleges that between 1993 and 1997, the plaintiffs wrote most of the songs, while Nelly performed . Because of their success, both the group and Nelly signed contracts with Universal.
The eight songs named in the lawsuit, “Steal the Show,” “Thicky Thick Girl,” “Country Grammar,” “Wrap Something/Sumden,” “Batter Up,” “Iz U,” “Go” and “Gimme What You” Got “, the four members of St. Lunatics wrote, with Nelly providing the “lyrical arrangement and lyrics.”
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Nelly and the St. Lunatics in concert in New York.
Djamilla Rosa Cochran/WireImage
Due to the alleged lack of credit, the complaint states that they “were completely deprived, and continue to be deprived, of any income, money, royalty or other form of compensation from the distribution, use, commercialization, sale, public performance or other exploitation [songs] through exploitation [Country Grammar].”
The lawsuit sought at least $50 million in attorneys’ fees.
Nelly admitted the claim. In an Instagram post ahead of her AMA performance, she wrote: “STL ATTACKS @amas…!!! Anyone who has a problem with that ‘Sue Me’…!!!”
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