ST. LOUIS — St. Louis native Cornell Haynes Jr., better known as Nelly, has been sued by his former music group, the St. Lunatics, over alleged uncredited and unpaid work on his 2000 bestselling album "Country Grammar."
The plaintiffs are Ali Jones (Ali), Torhi Harper (Murphy Lee), Robert Kyjuan (Kyjuan) and Lavell Webb (City Spud). The suit was filed Wednesday in federal court in New York, and alleges that Nelly didn't properly credit them for contributions on the album, one of the bestselling rap albums ever with more than 10 million copies sold. It made Nelly an international star.
Representatives for Nelly didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
The suit, which also targets Universal Music Group, BMG Songs and Kobalt Music Publishing America, alleges that Nelly promised the plaintiffs they would receive "Country Grammar" writing credit and publishing income, but they eventually discovered they didn't get any credit.
