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Warner Music Group has a problem in Nigeria, and it's getting bigger by the day.
The global entertainment giant is at risk of being dragged into active court proceedings over Burna Boy's early catalogue after failing to respond to a formal legal demand issued by Lagos-based law firm Creative Legal, which represents 960 Music Limited, the largest shareholder in Aristokrat Records, Burna Boy's former label.
The dispute traces back to mid-2024, when Aristokrat Records Nigeria Limited allegedly transferred the master recordings and intellectual property from two of Burna Boy's foundational albums, L.I.F.E (2013) and Redemption (2016), to Spaceship Music Limited, the imprint co-owned by the Grammy-winning artist and his mother, Bose Ogulu. 960 Music, which holds a 40% equity stake in Aristokrat, says it was never notified of the deal and never consented to it. The company is now pushing for the courts to nullify the entire transaction.
Creative Legal formally notified Warner, which distributes the disputed catalogue in its capacity as distributor for Spaceship Music, demanding the company immediately halt all distribution, monetization, licensing, synchronization and any other commercial exploitation of the works. The firm gave Warner seven days to acknowledge receipt and confirm compliance. That deadline has passed. Warner has not responded.
"They are yet to concede to our demands," a lawyer at Creative Legal told reporters. The firm says Warner's silence has transformed what was a compliance question into something more serious.
Justin Ige, managing partner at Creative Legal, said the firm is now weighing its next steps pending instructions from 960 Music. One option, he confirmed, is to have Warner joined directly as a co-defendant in the existing civil proceedings before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, where 960 Music is seeking to void the assignment and recover proceeds from the alleged sale. Parallel criminal proceedings are also active in Lagos, with authorities pursuing allegations of fraudulent conversion linked to the 2024 transaction.
The civil suit names Aristokrat Records Nigeria Limited and others as defendants. The criminal case, filed separately, involves Aristokrat Records founder Piriye Isokrari, who has missed at least two court appearances. Proceedings in Lagos were adjourned to April 20, 2026.
At stake is the commercial future of some of Burna Boy's most enduring early recordings, including breakout tracks like "Like to Party" and "Tonight," which continue generating streaming, licensing and publishing income across global markets. The catalogue's value has risen sharply alongside the artist's profile since those records were released.
Ige said that with active proceedings underway, Warner's continued distribution of the disputed works could be characterized as interference with a live judicial matter, a position that carries consequences beyond reputational risk. Creative Legal has also demanded the company preserve all financial and royalty records tied to the catalogue and refrain from entering any new licensing or distribution agreements involving the disputed works.
Warner Music Group has not publicly commented on the matter.
