Nelly Hit with $50 Million Lawsuit from Former St. Lunatics Groupmates

Nelly is facing serious legal trouble as four of his former St. Lunatics groupmates—Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and City Spud—have filed a $50 million lawsuit against him. The lawsuit, filed earlier this week, accuses the rap superstar of copyright infringement and unjust enrichment, alleging that he failed to properly credit or compensate them for their contributions to his 2000 debut album, Country Grammar.

This legal battle adds to a string of recent challenges for Nelly, who just welcomed his first child with fiancée Ashanti and was previously arrested at a casino in Missouri under accusations of ecstasy possession (which his attorney denied).

St. Lunatics Claim Nelly Stole Their Work

According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, the former groupmates claim that Nelly falsely took sole credit for several songs they allegedly helped create, including:

“Batter Up”
“Thicky Thick Girl”
“Steal The Show”

The plaintiffs argue that they trusted Nelly, believing that he would give them proper credit and compensation. However, they claim they did not realize the truth until 2020, when they allegedly discovered they had been completely excluded from the album’s publishing and writing credits.

“Despite repeated assurances by defendant Haynes [Nelly] that plaintiffs would receive their writing credit and publishing income for creating the Original Compositions, plaintiffs, sometime in 2020, eventually discovered that defendant Haynes had been lying to them the entire time,” the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit further alleges that Nelly and others involved in the album’s production took full credit for the songs, leaving the St. Lunatics members without their rightful share of earnings.

A Fallout Years in the Making

The St. Lunatics and Nelly’s rocky relationship is no secret. While the group was once a tight-knit collective from St. Louis that helped propel Nelly to superstardom, tensions between the rapper and his former collaborators have surfaced multiple times over the years.

Ali, in particular, has been vocal about his issues with Nelly, claiming that he played a major role in Nelly’s early success but received little recognition in return. This lawsuit appears to be the culmination of years of frustration and financial disputes.

What’s Next for Nelly?

With $50 million on the line, this lawsuit could have major financial and reputational consequences for Nelly. The rapper has yet to publicly respond to the allegations, but given the high-profile nature of the case, it’s likely that his legal team will fight back aggressively.

Meanwhile, fans are left wondering—did Nelly really cut his former groupmates out of their rightful earnings, or is this just a bitter dispute between old friends?

What do you think? Is Nelly in the wrong, or are the St. Lunatics just trying to cash in years later? Let us know in the comments!