Bad Boy Chiller Crew Files Lawsuit Against Record Label Over Unpaid Royalties

The British rap ensemble Bad Boy Chiller Crew has filed a lawsuit at the High Court against their record label, asserting they are due approximately £400,000 in outstanding royalties. The trio from Bradford, recognized for their energetic bassline anthems and a Brit Award nomination for best group last year, stated they felt they had “no other option” but to pursue legal proceedings against House Anxiety. This label signed the group in 2020 and subsequently released their mixtape, Full Wack No Breaks, in the same year. In response, House Anxiety declared they “totally refute these claims” and expressed readiness to “clarify these inaccuracies”. The legal filing by Bad Boy Chiller Crew alleges that the label was contractually obligated to provide royalty statements every six months, yet the group reportedly received their initial statement only in October 2024. The band contends that this royalty statement contained “vast sums” that were improperly deducted and failed to account for £217,000 which House Anxiety had obtained through a licensing agreement with a subsidiary of the prominent label Sony. According to the claim, the group is unable to precisely determine the total amount owed until they are provided with a complete set of financial accounts. Nevertheless, they estimate the sum will be no less than £400,000. Furthermore, the group asserts that their contractual agreement with House Anxiety has concluded. In June, they independently released a new single and an EP; however, both were subsequently removed from Spotify following a complaint from House Anxiety, which cited a breach of their contract. In a statement provided to the BBC, Bad Boy Chiller Crew commented: “Like all other bands, we don’t look for litigation, but when faced with a label that won’t let us put our own music out ourselves for our fans and not pay us royalties owed from our own music, we felt we had no other option.” Jaimie Hodgson, founder of House Anxiety, stated: “We totally refute these claims and welcome the opportunity to clarify these inaccuracies.” He added: “As an artist-friendly independent label, we remain hugely proud of every element of Full Wack No Breaks and all the hard work that went into its campaign, then stepping aside to allow BBCC to pursue their dreams of being a major label artist. There will be no further comment at this time.” The mixtape Full Wack No Breaks featured the band’s breakthrough track, 450. Their subsequent release, Disrespectful, achieved the number two position on the UK album chart in 2022, facilitated by the licensing arrangement with Sony’s Relentless label. This album contained the top 10 single BMW, and the group also featured in their own ITV2 reality television program in 2021.