Rap group Bad Boy Chiller Crew sues record label
British rap group Bad Boy Chiller Crew have filed a legal claim against their record label in the High Court, saying they are owed almost £400,000 in unpaid royalties.
The Bradford trio are known for their high-energy bassline anthems, and were nominated for a Brit Award for Best Group last year.
He says he had “no other choice” but to take court action against the House Anxiety label, which signed the group in 2020 and released their Full Wack No Breaks mixtape that year.
In response, House Anxiety stated that they “completely refute these claims” and welcome the opportunity to “clarify these inaccuracies.”
Bad Boy Chiller Crew’s claim states that they were supposed to be given royalty statements by the label every six months, but they only received the first royalty statement in October 2024.
The band argue that “large sums” were incorrectly deducted from that royalty statement, and did not include the £217,000 House Anxiety received in a licensing deal with a subsidiary of major label Sony.
The claim says the group can’t calculate exactly how much they are owed until they get the full set of accounts. But he believes it will amount to at least £400,000.
The group also argues that their contract with House Anxiety has expired.
They released a new single and an EP independently in June, but both were removed from Spotify after House Anxiety complained that it was a breach of their contract.
In a statement to the BBC, Bad Boy Chiller Crew said: “Like all other bands, we are not looking for litigation, but when faced with a label that does not allow us to present our music to our fans. doesn’t allow us to pay the royalties owed from our own music, we felt we had no other choice.”
Jamie Hodgson, founder of House Anxiety, said: “We completely refute these claims and welcome the opportunity to clarify these inaccuracies.
“As an artist-friendly independent label, we are extremely proud of every element of Full Wack No Breaks and the hard work that went into its campaign, then are thrilled to allow BBCC to pursue their dreams of being a major label artist. Took a step forward. There will be no further comment at this time.”
Full Wack No Breaks included the band’s breakthrough track 450.
The follow-up, Disrespectful, reached number two in the UK Albums Chart in 2022 under a licensing deal with Sony’s Relentless label.
That album included the top 10 single BMW, and the group also starred in their own ITV2 reality show in 2021.
