Little Simz is suing her former producer Inflo for the recovery of £1.7 million which the artist claims were supplied as loans intended to cover album costs and to finance an upcoming live event.
Inflo – real name Dean Cover – is part of the Sault music production collective and the producer of her commercially and critically acclaimed albums Grey Area, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert and No Thank You. Inflo has also manned the desk for Adele, Michael Kiwanuka, Tyler the Creator, and his wife soul singer Cleo Sol.
Simz – real name Simbiatu Ajikawo – had been working with Artists Without a Label (AWAL), a label for independent artists and in November 2022 signed a three-album deal with a total advance of £2m plus £625,000 to cover the costs of recording the third album.
According to Law360 (paywall), the filing claims that Simz paid Cover two separate sums in late 2022 to finance that third album, Grey Area, comprising a payment of £350,000 and a second of £275,000.
A letter from Cover to her lawyers dated October 2024 revealed that Cover spent just under £524,436 on recording costs, leading Simz's team to claim that more than £100,000 should be returned to her.
However, the main source of the spat would appear to be the first (and so far only) Sault live show, put together by Cover and which took place at the Drumsheds live music and events venue in Tottenham in London on 13 December 2023.
The event went on to be well received with tickets costing £99.
"Still getting [his] deal over the line”
Simz’s suit states that the star lent Cover £1 million prior to the event in order to make it happen, on the condition that he would repay it just days later on 4 December.
Simz went on to lend Cover a further £500,000 and an additional £200,000 and appeared as part of the line-up at the gig itself.
However, Simz'sm suit alleges, Cover agreed to but failed to repay the money, claiming that he was “still getting [his] deal over the line” and that he would “send [the money] back as soon as it lands.”
The result of the loan and its non-repayment meant that Simz was "unable to pay her full tax liability" and as a result incurred interest and charges. In that letter, dated October 2024, Cover’s legal counsel appeared to acknowledge the debt, but wrongly attributed it to his company’s management arm Forever Living Originals rather than to Cover personally.
News of the fallout has fans worried as the spat effectively separates Simz from her successful collaborator, putting future releases and unreleased recordings in limbo. Indeed, Simz is set to release her sixth album, Lotus, on 9 May with that album being produced by Miles Clinton James, who previously produced jazz outfit Kokoroko.
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