Court orders DJ Zeez to refund N22.3m to record label

A Lagos State High Court on Monday ordered Nigerian singer, born Kingsley Elikpo, popularly known as DJ Zeez, to refund the sum of N22.3million to his record label, HF Music registered as HF Media Limited.
It would be recalled that in September 2015, the ‘Fokasibe’ crooner was dragged to court by HF Music following his inability to meet his obligations as outlined in his contract.

The main complaint had stated that the singer was unable or refused to record music, as contained in the record deal and the sum was said to be the total amount the record label had spent on him since he got signed on with them.


The label claimed that it was a difficult task to get the singer to record a 6 track EP he released in 2014.
The document containing the ruling reads: “This judgment is expected to have serious implication on the Nigerian music industry, as record label owners and investors can now feel safe investing in artistes, knowing that their investment is protected by the law.
“On the other hand, artistes are now expected to sit-up and take their contractual obligations more serious, knowing that breaching their contract might turn out to be a career ending move.”
Meanwhile, the record label and the singer, whose last big single is Atewo featuring Olamide, are yet to issue an official statement on the issue.