In the midst of the chart-topping success of 'A Bar Song (Tipsy), Shaboozey has now sued music publisher Warner Chappell — claiming the label is blocking his efforts to exercise a contractual provision that would have given him an early exit from his deal.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday (August 21) in Los Angeles, the country star (born Collins Obinna Chibueze) alleges that the publishing management agreement with Warner-Tamerlane (a unit of Warner Chappell) contained an acceleration clause — which means he could repay 110% of advances to speed up the end of the deal.
Shaboozey's lawyers say he invoked that clause last month — perhaps not surprisingly, given the massive success of “Bar Song.” However, they claim Warner has so far refused to tell him how much he owes.
“To date, Warner has refused to disclose to plaintiff the total amount of the unrecovered balance of the prior advances he made,” he writes. Todd Bonderstar's lawyer “Warner's conduct violates the management agreement signed between the parties.”
The lawsuit comes amid a rocky year for Shaboozey. “A Bar Song,” a genre-blending hit that interpolates J-KWON's 2004 rap hit “Tipsy” into a bouncy pop country track, spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tying the longest run on the chart . for a song in 2024.
In his complaint, Shaboozey also names his former label, Kreshendo Entertainment, as a defendant. He claims the label – which he left in 2019 before signing a new record deal with Empire – is the reason Warner is refusing to hand over the crucial information.
“Crescendo and [others] directed Warner not to provide plaintiff with the total unrecovered balance related to advances made in connection with the compositions or refused to authorize Warner to provide such information,” his attorneys wrote.
The controversy seems to turn on Shaboozey's argument that he personally took over the role of Kreshendo in the Warner contract after he dropped his label. In his legal filings, he says Warner has “not agreed” to such an interpretation.
The lawsuit also alleges that Kreshendo released three separate Shaboozey songs in 2019 after he had already terminated the deal — “More,” “Joan Jett” and “Prosperity” — without his permission.
A spokesman for Warner Music Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative for Kreshendo could not immediately be reached for comment. A Shaboozey reporter did not respond to a request for comment.
