Why Aristokrat Records Did Not Renew Burna Boy’s Contract In 2014 – Piriye Isokrari

October 29, 2026

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The founder of Aristokrat Records, Piriye Isokrari, has opened up on why the label failed to renew Burna Boy’s contract after it expired in 2014, citing the singer’s demand for huge financial advance and a Porsche.

Burna Boy joined Aristokrat Records in July 2011 and exited the label in May 2014 when his deal ended.

Speaking on ‘In The Garage with Dolapo Amusat’, Isokrari, popularly known as Peedi Picasso, said the label had actually planned to retain the Grammy winner after securing fresh investment from 960 Music Group.

According to him, part of the reason for the 960 Music deal was to raise funds to re-sign Burna Boy.

“We wanted to re-extend the contract, this was 2014 and we did our first investment deal. We got money from 960. So we did that 960 music deal, part of doing the 960 deal was so we could sign Burna again, to extend it and everything,” he said.

He however explained that Burna Boy came with a long list of demands, including a huge advance and a luxury car which he wanted as gifts, not as recoupable expenses.

“Burna had a different mentality at that point in time. He felt like, okay, I have proven myself, which he had… he wanted to be paid an advance. He wanted money — big money. He wanted a Porsche, he wanted a car. He had a nice list of things that he wanted. Burna is a very smart man. He also said it shouldn’t be recoupable. He was like it should be a gift,” Isokrari said.

The music executive noted that granting those requests would have wiped out the entire investment from 960 Music Group, at a time Aristokrat was trying to grow beyond a single artiste and build a sustainable label.

“We looked at it, we knew how much we had from 960 and that was basically saying all the money you are getting from 960 give it to me. My own thinking then was like: I get it, do you deserve it, you do. But we are not trying to build a one man label. I wanted to scale. That was why we were doing the 960 thing. We had other artistes, we had other ambitions as a brand, Aristokrat,” he added.

Isokrari said the situation reminded him of the rift between EME and Wizkid at the time, which despite meeting similar demands, still ended badly with no successor artiste to carry on the label.

He added that Burna Boy’s mother, Bose Ogulu, had advised him to focus solely on her son, assuring him that as Burna grew, the label would also grow.

The revelation comes amid ongoing legal battles over Burna Boy’s early catalogue.

In June, a Federal High Court in Ikoyi dismissed a criminal case over alleged secret sale of Burna Boy’s early works.

The suit bordered on alleged fraudulent conversion and breach of fiduciary duty against Aristokrat Records and Isokrari over the sale of the singer’s early catalogue.

In February 2026, 960 Music Group, a minority shareholder, filed a suit to reverse the multimillion-dollar sale of Burna Boy’s catalogue from Aristokrat Music to Spaceship Music, a company owned by the artiste and his mother, in a transaction said to have taken place around May/June 2024.

BY ABDULBAQI JIBREEL AJAO