Over Contractual Dispute Amidst Massive Success of “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
In a dramatic turn of events, breakout country star Shaboozey, known for his hit single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” finds himself embroiled in a heated legal battle with his former record label, Kreshendo Entertainment. Just days after the artist filed a lawsuit against Kreshendo and Warner Chappell, the label has retaliated with its own lawsuit, accusing Shaboozey of using “fraud” and “bad faith” to avoid his contractual obligations.
Kreshendo Entertainment, in a complaint filed on August 23 in Los Angeles court, claims that while they released Shaboozey (Collins Obinna Chibueze) from his record deal in 2019, they retained significant rights to his music. These rights included a 50% stake in all of the singer’s compositions and a percentage of profits from his masters. According to Kreshendo, these stipulations were meant to compensate the label for the investment and support they provided when Shaboozey was an unknown artist.
However, Kreshendo now alleges that Shaboozey has “elected a strategy of fraud and misrepresentation” to deprive the label of their contractual rights. The label’s attorneys from Reed Smith argue that Shaboozey had no issues with the terms for years, but his stance changed only after “A Bar Song” became a massive hit, spending seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and marking the longest chart-topping stint for a song in 2024.
Kreshendo’s lawsuit further claims that Shaboozey has breached the termination agreement by failing to pay the required profits and by engaging in legal wrangling with Warner Chappell, which he detailed in his own lawsuit filed earlier in the week. The label asserts that Shaboozey’s statements to Warner, including directing the company to stop paying Kreshendo, were false and an attempt to circumvent his contractual obligations.
Shaboozey’s lawsuit, filed on August 21, accused Warner Chappell of blocking him from exiting a publishing administration deal, allegedly at the behest of Kreshendo. However, Kreshendo’s counterclaims suggest that the real issue lies with Shaboozey’s unwillingness to honor the terms of his agreement with the label that helped launch his career.
As the legal battle unfolds, it casts a shadow over what has otherwise been a breakout year for Shaboozey. “A Bar Song,” a genre-blending track that ingeniously interpolates J-KWON’s 2004 rap hit “Tipsy,” has become a defining anthem of 2024. Yet, the ongoing dispute with Kreshendo Entertainment threatens to derail the momentum of the artist’s rising career.