Riding high on the success of his hit single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey has filed a lawsuit against Warner Chappell, claiming the music publisher is obstructing his attempts for an early exit deal.
In a complaint filed Friday in Los Angeles, the country music star alleges that Warner-Tamerlane, a subsidiary of Warner Chappell, refused to release him from his administration deal. However, the contract had a clause stating that he could pay 110% of the “unrecouped balances” to expedite the process, according to a copy of the suit obtained by Rolling Stone.
Given the popularity of “Tipsy,” the 29-year-old’s reps sent a letter to Warner requesting the balance and the amount owed. Despite this, the publisher has allegedly refused to cooperate with him and his team.
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“To date, Warner has refused to disclose to plaintiff the total amount of the unrecouped balance for the prior advances in violation of the Administration Agreement,” the lawsuit states.
Shaboozey’s original record label and publisher, Kreshendo, is also mentioned as a defendant in the suit. Shaboozey claims Kreshendo instructed Warner not to disclose information about the unrecouped balances to him. The complaint against both companies was filed over breach of contract, per Rolling Stone.
The Virginia native, born Collins Obinna Chibueze, is not the only one who recently filed a lawsuit. According to TMZ, Kreshendo filed a more than $2 million suit against him, alleging that he was aware of the stipulation that even when the company allowed him to exit his contract in 2019, they could still profit from his musical success.
Court documents allege that the singer-songwriter does not want to share the profits from his song’s earnings with his former label.
Despite the legal troubles, Shaboozey is enjoying a great summer, thanks to the strong response to “Tipsy” from music lovers. Blavity reported that the song spent several weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
