Fraud claims rock Burna Boy's catalogue deal as 960 Music seeks to overturn Spaceship Music transfer

Nigerian Singer Songwriter Burna Boy. [Courtesy]

Burna Boy’s early catalogue has become the focus of a legal showdown that could ultimately decide who owns some of the most pivotal tracks of his career.

On February 9, 2026, 960 Music Group initiated legal action to overturn the transfer of Burna Boy’s early masters from Aristokrat Music to his current label, Spaceship Music.

The company contends that the transaction, finalised around mid-2024, was executed without its approval and should therefore be nullified.

The dispute centres on the songs that helped launch Burna Boy’s career, including “Like to Party” and “Tonight,” which are now entangled in what one side describes as a failure in corporate governance.

Aristokrat Music, the label that signed Burna Boy in 2011, is said to have transferred the intellectual property rights and master recordings from his formative years to Spaceship Music the imprint operated by the artist and his mother, Bose Ogulu  in May or June 2024.

However, 960 Music Group, which holds a 40 per cent equity stake in Aristokrat, argues that it was completely excluded from the process. In court documents, the company claims the deal was concluded without its awareness, consent, or board approval.

It refers to the catalogue as the label’s “crown jewel asset” and maintains that no individual executive possessed the authority to sell it independently.

The firm has petitioned the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt to invalidate the sale and compel the return of the assets.

At the heart of the matter is Aristokrat’s ownership framework. 960 Music insists that as a major shareholder, any disposal of the company’s most valuable assets must receive board-level clearance. The group alleges that Piriye Isokrari, founder and CEO of Aristokrat Records, sidestepped proper corporate procedures to secure what it characterises as a “private deal” with Spaceship Music.

In its filings, 960 Music states that although Isokrari had operational control, he lacked the authority to dispose of assets that significantly impacted the company without shareholder approval.

The conflict has since escalated beyond a civil commercial dispute. The Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) has brought criminal charges against Isokrari after probing allegations raised by 960 Music. He faces accusations of fraudulent conversion and breach of fiduciary duty.

Investigators allege that funds from the multi-million-dollar transaction were diverted for personal use or channelled outside Aristokrat’s official accounts. 960 Music claims the proceeds did not reach the company, reinforcing its assertion that the sale was mishandled.

According to MSN, an unnamed executive from the company said the involvement of law enforcement was necessary. “You cannot sell 100 per cent of an asset when you only have the authority to manage the company,” the executive said.

“We are asking the court to bring those assets back.” For Burna Boy, the situation creates an uncertain scenario. The 2024 agreement had been viewed as a strategic move to secure full ownership of his early masters  an objective many global artists strive to achieve. But if the court rules in favour of 960 Music, Spaceship Music may be compelled to surrender the catalogue.

Such an outcome would see Burna Boy’s breakthrough records revert to the original stakeholders behind Aristokrat, reversing the ownership transition the deal was intended to accomplish.

For now, the catalogue remains tied up in legal proceedings, with civil suits underway in Lagos and Port Harcourt, alongside criminal charges. The court’s final decision will determine whether Burna Boy keeps control of his early recordings or forfeits them due to a dispute rooted in corporate governance.