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Chart-topping rapper Chip – formerly known as Chipmunk – has been dragged to the High Court by a grime star rival who claims he is owed royalties from one of his biggest hits.
The Oopsy Daisy singer, 31, tallied more than 32 million Spotify streams with his 2015 song Coward, which was penned as a ‘diss track’ against Tinie Tempah.
But Dirty Danger is suing after claiming he and Chip agreed over the phone to a 50/50 split of all royalties from the hit – which was sampled from a 2005 song of the former.
A judge will now rule on the dispute over the foul-mouthed track, which includes the lyrics: ‘F*** you and your dead chess moves.’
Chip – whose real name is Jahmaal Fyffe – is famed for his fallouts with other rappers, including Tinie Tempah and Stormzy.
In 2009, he became the youngest UK rapper to hit number one when his track Oopsy Daisy reached the top of the charts.
He won Best Newcomer at the 2008 Mobo Awards and his debut album I am Chipmunk went platinum, spawning a slew of top 40 hits.
Chart-topping rapper Chip (pictured) – formerly known as Chipmunk – has been dragged to the High Court by a grime star rival who claims he is owed royalties from one of his biggest hits
Dirty Danger (pictured) is suing after claiming he and Chip agreed over the phone to a 50/50 split of all royalties from the hit Coward – which was sampled from a 2005 song of the former
He has also performed at Wembley Stadium and the Brit Awards, and reportedly had a gross income of £1.5m in 2009, making him the highest-paid UK rapper at the time.
In court documents lodged by his lawyers, Dirty Danger’s barrister Jamie Muir Wood says that Chip’s song is partly based on a track Dirty Danger released in 2005 entitled ‘Together’.
The MC, whose real name is David Nkrumah, says the two men agreed in October 2015 that Chip would be able to ‘exploit’ the track for his new song Coward on the basis that Dirty Danger would get half of ‘everything’ the track made.
The barrister said the two rappers agreed that deal on the phone as the track had to be rushed out that night as a response to a volley by Tinie Tempah in their ‘diss’ battle.
But when the written contract for use of the track arrived, it did not cover ‘accounting for and payments of royalties generated through the exploitation of the track, other than the mechanical licence,’ he said.
The barrister claimed that Chip is ‘in breach of the agreement’ the two rappers allegedly reached on the phone.
‘Mr Nkrumah has received some limited royalties in respect of the exploitation of the track, but he does not believe that these reflect 50% of all royalties received by Mr Fyffe and/or [record label] Cash Motto,’ he goes on to say.
Chip admits that Coward made use of Dirty Danger’s track, but denies there was an agreement to split ‘everything’ 50/50.
In his defence to the claim, his barrister Richard Colbey says: ‘It is admitted and averred the parties entered into a binding agreement.
‘The first defendant did not agree to account to Mr Nkrumah for everything and specifically no agreement was reached in respect of payment to the claimant of master royalties generated through exploitation of the track.
The MC, whose real name is David Nkrumah, says the two men agreed in October 2015 that Chip would be able to ‘exploit’ the track for his new song Coward on the basis that Dirty Danger would get half of ‘everything’ the track made. The barrister said the two rappers agreed that deal on the phone as the track had to be rushed out that night as a response to a volley by Tinie Tempah (pictured) in their ‘diss’ battle
‘The claimant agreed to grant the first defendant an irrevocable licence to use a sample of the work.
‘The nature of the claimant’s contribution to the track…was that of beatmaker/producer.
‘At the material time, the industry standard was for beatmakers/producers to be paid 50% of publishing royalties and either to not receive any master royalties at all, or if a share of master royalties was granted to receive only a three to six per cent share.
‘The claimant has been paid all royalties due to him pursuant to the agreement,’ he said.
Judge Richard Hacon, sitting at a pre-trial hearing, granted an application by Dirty Danger’s lawyers for Chip to disclose how much money he has made from the track so far.
‘Background information relating to the defendant’s finances relating to this track might be of assistance – disclosure of sales and so on,’ the judge said.
Dirty Danger is also suing Chip’s record label Cash Motto Records.
The case is due to return to court at a later date.