Muni Long has been sued by her former managers for allegedly refusing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in commissions and expenses.
According to court filings, Long’s former managers, brothers Chaka Zulu and Jeff Dixon, filed a federal lawsuit against her through their company, Ebony Son Entertainment. In the lawsuit, they allege that Long verbally agreed to a management deal during the 2023 Essence Festival, guaranteeing the brothers' company 20% of her gross revenue, as well as coverage of expenses.
With that in mind, Zulu and Dixon helped to relaunch her career “within days of being hired,” which they say led to seven-figure publishing deal, more opportunities to perform, and a Grammy win. The suit alleges that their agreement continued as promised until late 2024, when Long stopped paying the promised commission fees, before attempting to end her arrangement with Ebony Son this January.
In addition to claiming that Long used her companies, Super Giant Records LLC, Muni World Inc., White Rose Garden LLC, and Muni Long Inc. to "shield assets and hide income” to avoid having to pay, Ebony Son alleges that its work in publishing, brand partnerships, and touring generated more than $5 million in total revenue for the singer. The company wants the court to enforce a "minimum" payment of $612,000, recognize their 20% commission agreement, and appoint an auditor to go over Long's financial records.
Zulu and Dixon are best known for co-founding Ludacris' record label, Disturbing Tha Peace. Zulu has managed Luda from the beginning of his career.
In a statement to Billboard, Long’s team denied Ebony Son’s claims as “unfounded.”
“The situation has been particularly distressing, as it involves the same team that took possession of the artist’s phone and sought to have her involuntarily committed to a mental health facility, despite medical confirmation that she was suffering from a Lupus flare-up,” the statement reads. “All appropriate avenues are being pursued to ensure that the truth is fully and fairly defended. The artist hopes this underscores the importance to all those in creative fields to safeguard their personal and professional boundaries and be discerning about those they trust to represent them.”
Zulu and Dixon first leveled allegations about unpaid commissions in a California state court complaint in July. The state case was withdrawn a few days before their company took the claims to federal court.