Hip-Hop
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Decades after Nelly released his chart-topping breakout Country Grammar, he’s facing a new lawsuit over the album from his St. Lunatics groupmates – who claim that the star cut them out of the credits and the royalty payments.
In a complaint filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, attorneys for the St. Lunatics allege that Nelly (Cornell Haynes) repeatedly “manipulated” them into falsely thinking they’d be paid for their work on the 2000 album, which spent five weeks atop the Billboard 200.
“Every time plaintiffs confronted defendant Haynes [he] would assure them as ‘friends’ he would never prevent them from receiving the financial success they were entitled to,” the lawsuit reads. “Unfortunately, plaintiffs, reasonably believing that their friend and former band member would never steal credit for writing the original compositions, did not initially pursue any legal remedies.”
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The case was filed by St. Lunatics members Ali (Ali Jones), Murphy Lee (Tohri Harper), Kyjuan (Robert Kyjuan) and City Spud (Lavell Webb). Slo Down (Corey Edwards), another former member of the group, is not named as a plaintiff.
A spokesperson for Nelly did not immediately return a request for comment.
A group of high school friends from St. Louis, the St. Lunatics rose to prominence in the late 1990s with “Gimme What U Got”, and their debut album Free City – released a year after Country Grammar – was a hit of its own, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
The various members of the group are repeatedly listed as co-writers in the public credits for numerous songs on Country Grammar, most notably with City Spud credited as a co-writer and co-performer on the single “Ride Wit Me,” which spent 29 weeks on the Hot 100.
In the new lawsuit, the group members say they were involved with more songs than they were credited for, including “Steal the Show,” “Thicky Thick Girl,” “Batter Up,” and “Wrap Sumden.” The most notable is the title track “Country Grammar,” which reached No. 7 on the singles chart; in public databases, the song only credits Nelly and producer Jason Epperson.
The groupmates say that during and after the Country Grammar recording session, Nelly “privately and publicly acknowledged that plaintiffs were the lyric writers” and “promised to ensure that plaintiffs received writing and publishing credit.” But decades later, in 2020, the St. Lunatics members say they “discovered that defendant Haynes had been lying to them the entire time.”
“Despite repeatedly promising plaintiffs that they would receive full recognition and credit… it eventually became clear that defendant Haynes had no intention of providing the plaintiffs with any such credit or recognition,” the group’s attorneys write.
When the group members realized Nelly had “failed to provide proper credit and publishing income,” they say they hired an attorney who reached out to Universal Music Publishing Group. The letter was relayed to Nelly’s attorneys, who they say “expressly repudiated” their claims to credit in 2021.
“Plaintiffs had no alternative but to commence legal proceedings against Defendants,” the lawsuit reads.
The case could face an important procedural hurdle. Although copyright infringement lawsuits can be filed decades after an infringing song is released, disputes over copyright ownership face a stricter three-year statute of limitations.
The current lawsuit is styled as an infringement case, with the St. Lunatics alleging that Nelly has unfairly used their songs without permission. But the first argument from Nelly’s attorneys will likely be that the case is really a dispute over ownership – and thus was filed years too late.
An attorney for the plaintiffs did not immediately return a request for comment.
Despite more than a decade since LLCOOLJ last released an album, the rapper picks up right where he left off. His new project, THE FORCE, debuts at No. 9 on the Top Rap Albums chart, giving the hip-hop legend his fifth consecutive top 10 result on the list, which began in 2004.
THE FORCE, released through LL COOL J’s self-titled imprint and the Def Jam Recordings record label, earned 16,000 equivalent album units in the tracking week of Sept. 6 – 12, according to Luminate. Of that sum, traditional album sales contributed 11,500 units, making THE FORCE the top-selling rap title of the week. 4,000 units derive from streaming activity, with the remaining 500 coming through track-equivalent album units. (One unit equals the following levels of consumption: one album sale, 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams for a song on the album.)
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Robust sales likely trace to LL COOL J’s flurry of promotional performances during the tracking week, including an interview on CBS Mornings and a performance to celebrate the Def Jam label’s 40th anniversary during the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, where the MC delivered a medley of his hits such as “Headsprung,” “Goin’ Back to Cali” and “Bring the Noise.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=w_XVxj035Qk%3Fsi%3Dov7qpLz2LdcK6r5h
Released Sept. 6, THE FORCE marked the first project since 2013 for LL COOL J, the hip-hop pioneer who became one of the genre’s earliest crossover stars and, in 2017, became the first rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. The album, largely produced by another rap icon, Q-Tip, of A Tribe Called Quest, boasts a strong supporting lineup, with Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross and Nas among the guest stars. Saweetie features on the set’s current single, “Proclivities,” which climbs 36-31 in its second week on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, while an Eminem feature on the album’s “Murdergram Deux” powers it to become the week’s top-selling (2,500 downloads) and most-streamed (2.3 million official U.S. streams) song on THE FORCE.
As noted, THE FORCE is the fifth consecutive top-10 effort for LL COOL J on Top Rap Albums. The streak began with The DEFinition, which reigned for one week in 2004, and followed with Todd Smith (No. 2, 2006), Exit 13 (No. 2, 2008) and Authentic (No. 4, 2013).
On the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, which began in 1958 and encompasses the rapper’s entire career, THE FORCE launches at No. 11. It becomes his 15th album to appear on the list, dating to his debut LP, Radio, in 1985.
GloRilla has much to celebrate this week as her single “TGIF” tops Billboard’s Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. The track rises from No. 2 to crown the list dated Sept. 21 and was the most-played song on U.S. monitored mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the tracking week of Sept. 6-12, according to Luminate.
The song’s coronation comes after a 15% gain in plays for the tracking week, compared with the previous frame. Thanks to the surge, “TGIF” wins the Greatest Gainer award, given to the song with the week’s largest increase in play count.
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With “TGIF,” GloRilla grabs her fourth No. 1 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. The Memphis-raised rapper first led the chart with her breakthrough hit, “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” with producer HitKidd, which reigned for one week in 2022. The 10-week juggernaut “Tomorrow 2,” with Cardi B, followed in 2022-2023, while her third visit to the summit came via “Yeah Glo!,” a two-week champ earlier this year.
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“TGIF” evicts Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” from the penthouse after the latter ruled for the last nine weeks, of 11 total in charge. By taking the throne from Lamar’s culture-shaping hit, GloRilla enjoys a bit of revenge. Her previous single, the Megan Thee Stallion collaboration “Wanna Be,” parked in the runner-up spot for five weeks in August – September, blocked from the No. 1 spot by “Not Like Us.”
A standalone single, “TGIF” scored viral popularity, with plenty of Internet posts playing off several lyrics, including the track’s “it’s 7 pm Friday / it’s 95 degrees” opening lines. Rihanna also elevated the track’s popularity soon after its release, with a TikTok post of her rapping alongside the song having just over 157 million views on the social platform.
Elsewhere, “TGIF” repeats at its No. 2 high on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop stations. Despite remaining in second place, “TGIF” improved to 15.8 million in weekly audience, up 13% from the previous week and enough to capture the Greatest Gainer honor. It also advances 3-2 on Rap Airplay (up 14% in audience) and 16-12 on Rhythmic Airplay (a 19% increase in plays).
Continued ascent across the radio formats help “TGIF” soar 30-22 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart, where it jumps to 22.7 million in total audience, a 14% weekly gain. The airplay strength, in turn, pushes “TGIF” to new heights on the multi-metric Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, which blends radio airplay with streaming and sales data for its ranks. There, “TGIF” steps 7-6 to a new peak, in its 12th week on the list.
In a new interview, LL Cool J admitted to being nervous about the response his 14th solo album The FORCE would get, saying that he had a hard time sleeping the night it dropped. However, when he checked social media, he was relieved by the positive response.
“When I told people, ‘Yo, I wanna do a culturally relevant album’ in the midst of all these [younger artists], people looked at me like I had nine heads,” the 56-year-old told Variety. “They looked at me like I was a hydra — a hydra! — looking at me crazy like that, not because of any ill will, but just ‘How can you do that?’”
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While the genre has welcomed older acts, their mainstream success has been hit-or-miss, unless you’re Jay-Z, Nas or Eminem. LL was up for the challenge, though, saying, “It’s like breaking the 4-minute mile. Nobody thought it could be broken until Roger Bannister did it, and then a lot of people started breaking it.”
Adding, “Now you’ll see, when [The FORCE] has success, you’ll see people believing that they can make it happen, and it’s gonna extend the life of hip-hop in general. But if somebody doesn’t do it, if I don’t do Rock the Bells and [other] festivals and show that guys without records in the marketplace still can be relevant, and then if I don’t tell you that a guy who’s been out for a long time can make a new record and be relevant — if nobody does it, it never happens.”
Also, before LL worked with Q-Tip on his latest release, he says he recorded a bunch of songs with Dr. Dre, but the Queens MC wasn’t confident in the raps he laid down, so he decided to start over. “That would have meant I would have more confidence in him than I have in myself when it needs to be equal,” he told the outlet. “He deserves a better LL than that. For me to go in there and not give Dr. Dre the best possible LL, it’s not fair to him and it’s definitely not fair to me, because it means I’m not taking advantage of the opportunity.” He continued by saying, “We both knew it wasn’t there. The sonics were there, but I gotta deliver on the writing. I’m not putting nothing out if I don’t feel it’s right.”
Later in the interview he revealed that he and the late Michael Jackson have unreleased songs stashed away and that the King of Pop was inspired by LL’s song “I’m Bad” to make his own “Bad” song. “Me and Michael Jackson went to the studio, man,” he said. “Mike showed a lot of love to me in general, and definitely to hip-hop. Let’s be clear: For me, he’s the king. I’m a Michael Jackson fan, B. His talent speaks for itself.” Adding, “[Former Def Jam chief] Russell [Simmons] played my record for him and Quincy [Jones], and they got inspired. That’s OK.”
It’s late Monday (Sept. 9) night at the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, and Bruce Gillmer, who is executive producing the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards alongside Jesse Ignjatovic, is hustling from one rehearsal to another.
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“We’ve been going since Saturday,” says Gillmer of the preparations to throw what will be the 40th anniversary of MTV’s signature award show on Wednesday (Sept 11). On Monday, Gillmer and his team rehearsed with the rapper LL COOL J. “He’s a legendary MTV artist returning to the stage to celebrate a milestone of one of hip-hop’s most groundbreaking labels: Def Jam,” he reveals of the tribute to the label which also celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, before teasing: “He may even bring some friends along.”
In the past four decades, the VMAs have stayed steady as a culture-moving, irreverent event, frequently sending shockwaves around the music world. (Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift! Miley Cyrus twerks! Britney Spears and Madonna kiss!) But while music videos used to be in heavy rotation on the network, these days the only time a video may air on MTV is during the annual show. Nevertheless, the ceremony has managed to soldier on despite changing consumption habits (certain award categories have dropped the keyword “video,” and some voting takes place over Instagram Stories) and societal norms (its signature trophy the Moon Man is now the Moon Person).
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“This might be the biggest scale production we’ve ever done,” says Gillmer of 2024’s iteration, which will acknowledge the four-decade milestone. “We’re going to be revisiting some of the show’s most iconic moments that made the VMAs the pop culture beast it is today,” he explains. That includes harkening back to its debut on Sept. 14th, 1984. (Hosts: Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler; video of the year: “You Might Think” by The Cars). “One of the look backs will be at that first show from Radio City Music Hall,” says Gillmer. “It’s a homecoming of sorts, so we’ll celebrate turning 40 by flashing back to moments on stage and screen.”
The homecoming comes in the form of the production setting up shop at UBS Arena after a stint in New Jersey last year, which marks the seventh overall VMAs in the tri-state area. (For those counting, its last west coast production occurred in 2017 when Katy Perry hosted from The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.)
Straddling the border of New York City and Long Island, UBS opened in November 2021 (Harry Styles was its first musical performer). According to Gillmer, UBS was a natural choice. “It has top notch acoustics, world class tech capabilities and excellent sightlines,” he says of the arena which normally hosts NHL’s New York Islanders. “It really is built for music and allowed us to create one of our most ambitious set-ups yet.” In addition to the main stage, there will be four performance stages including what they’re dubbing a ‘fandom’ stage built into the audience. “Wait until you see how we used the Moon Person as part of our set design,” he teases. “It’s literally busting out of the screen, into the audience.” Ever the production aficionado, Gillmer can’t help but gush about the stage rigging. “I’m told we’re up to 400,000 lbs.,” he says. “The heaviest VMAs yet! I’m blown away every time I walk into the room and can’t wait for everyone to see all the ‘wow’ factors we packed into the live show.”
Much like an eclectic playlist meant to please everybody at the party, this year’s roster of performers zigzags between past and present names. In one corner, you have your MTV legends: the aforementioned LL COOL J, as well as Katy Perry who is set to take the stage to accept the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award (the show’s version of the lifetime achievement award). “We also just announced Eminem will be our show opener,” says Gillmer of the legendary rapper.
But it wouldn’t be the VMAs without tapping into buzzy newcomers for possible superstar-making performances. Luckily for the producers, the past year has minted a variety of fresh talent. “(Since) the show always spotlights artists with the biggest impact over the last 12 months, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter were two names we unquestionably had to have this year,” Gillmer says of snagging two of 2024’s biggest breakouts (the former had to shake up her schedule to facilitate her VMA debut). “Sabrina blew us all away with last year’s pre-show performance.”
Other first-time VMA performers this year include two artists riding breakout singles, Benson Boone (“Beautiful Things,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100) and Teddy Swims (“Lose Control,” which topped the Hot 100), as well as VMA stalwarts with new albums, including Shawn Mendes (his fifth album, Shawn, drops Oct. 18) and Camila Cabello (promoting C,XOXO which came out this summer). K-pop superstar Lisa, Brazil’s Anitta and Puerto Rico’s Rauw Alejandro will also perform.
There’s also Megan Thee Stallion, who this year serves as the ceremony’s host and continues the trend of recruiting an artist to host the ceremony (Nicki Minaj and Doja Cat have both enjoyed recent honors). According to Gillmer, the gig came after plans for a more traditional role for the star. “We actually started talking about her performance on 2024’s show first after her VMAs debut alongside Cardi B last year,” recalls Gillmer. “Our conversation evolved from there. It was easy to see she was a perfect fit: she’s quintessential MTV and is leading (her) genre. Megan is this rare artist who has an unmatched presence and dynamic personality that allows you to dominate a performance and then carry on an extraordinary event like this.”
For months, everything was booked, set and scheduled for the show to kick off Tuesday, Sept. 10. Then, a curveball: in August, the date of the first (and possibly only) Presidential Debate of the 2024 election cycle between Vice President Harris and former President Trump was announced to take place that same night. Gillmer and his team knew they wanted to steer clear.
“With our brand’s decades-long history of leading non-partisan civic engagement, it was important to encourage our fans to tune in to the debate to help make educated decisions ahead of a historic election,” he says. With that, the team went into overdrive shifting their plans by a full 24 hours, with this year’s show moving to Sept. 11. “With the date shift, it again gave us the opportunity to partner with our friends at 9/11 Day to amplify their September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance with tickets to Tuesday’s Children,” says Gillmer of the long-standing association with the charity.
Aside from streaming on Paramount+, the VMAs air on BET, BET Her, CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Nick at Nite, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land and VH1, with a rebroadcast to follow. “We’re also airing a live, hosted simulcast on Univision with entertainment reporter Alejandra Espinoza who is bringing audiences in on exclusive show access and rehearsal features from some of the top Latin talent,” Gillmer says.
In any case, Gillmer is bracing for the unexpected: “Anything can happen live on Wednesday.”
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