Soulja Boy is facing the potential loss of his music royalties after his former girlfriend filed legal documents announcing her intent to sell his rights to collect music residuals from Broadcast Music, Inc. The move is her latest step toward collecting on a nearly $4 million civil judgment she won against the rapper following a jury trial.
The woman, who filed as a Jane Doe, is a former assistant who went on to have a two-year romantic relationship with Soulja Boy. According to court documents, she filed a notice stating the sale will move forward unless Soulja Boy formally objects. The residuals would be sold to the highest bidder.
The judgment stems from a lawsuit in which the jury found Soulja Boy liable for sexual battery, infliction of emotional distress, and other claims. In the lawsuit, the woman alleged the relationship turned violent and that the rapper confined her without food for extended periods. Soulja Boy denied all wrongdoing, acknowledged the relationship existed, but disputed her characterization of events. His attorney argued at the time of the verdict that the evidence did not support the jury’s findings.
What losing music residuals would mean for Soulja Boy
Music residuals, sometimes called performance royalties, represent ongoing payments an artist receives when their music is played on radio, television, streaming platforms, and in public spaces. Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of the largest performance rights organizations in the United States, collecting and distributing those payments on behalf of songwriters and publishers.
For Soulja Boy, who built his career on a string of recognizable records beginning with Crank That in the mid-2000s, those residuals represent a continuing income stream tied directly to the catalog he built over nearly two decades in the music industry. Losing the right to collect those payments would not erase the catalog itself, but it would redirect that revenue stream away from him until the debt is satisfied.
The filing puts Soulja Boy in a position where he must either object to the sale through the court system, negotiate a settlement with his former girlfriend, or allow the process to move forward and potentially see his royalty collection rights transferred to a third-party buyer.
Where the case stands now
The civil judgment itself is not new. What is new is the escalation in collection efforts. Civil judgments can be difficult to enforce when a defendant lacks accessible cash assets, which is why creditors often pursue alternative collection methods including wage garnishment, property liens, and in this case, the sale of income-generating rights.
Soulja Boy has not publicly commented on the latest filing. His legal team’s next move will determine whether this heads toward a negotiated resolution or a court-supervised sale of his BMI residuals.
SOURCE: TMZ