960 Music Group, a minority shareholder, has filed a suit seeking to nullify a reported multi-million dollar sale of Burna Boy’s early music catalogue from his former label Aristokrat to his current label Spaceship Music.
According to court filings, Aristokrat Music sold the intellectual property and master recordings from Burna Boy’s foundational years to Spaceship Music, owned by the artiste and his mother manager Bose Ogulu, in a transaction dated May and June 2024.
960 Music Group, which holds a 40 per cent equity stake in Aristokrat Music, claimed it was completely sidelined.
The company alleged the sale was conducted illegally, without its knowledge, consent, or required board approval.
The firm has subsequently filed a lawsuit in the federal high court in Port Harcourt seeking to nullify the deal, describing the catalogue as Aristokrat’s “crown jewel asset”.
The civil dispute has spiralled into a criminal investigation. The Force Criminal Investigation Department has filed charges against Piriye Isokrari, the founder and chief executive officer of Aristokrat Records.
He faces accusations of fraudulent conversion, with investigators alleging that proceeds from the sale were diverted for personal use or funneled outside company accounts. He is also charged with breach of fiduciary duty.
960 Music alleged that Isokrari bypassed corporate governance structures to strike a private deal with Spaceship Music, effectively undermining the interests of the firm’s minority shareholders.
The dispute places Burna Boy’s early catalogue in legal uncertainty. A ruling in favour of 960 Music could force Spaceship Music to relinquish rights to the singer’s early hit songs.
Aristokrat Records played a key role in Burna Boy’s early career after signing him in the early 2010s, releasing some of his earliest projects before he later moved on to establish Spaceship Music.
