Singer Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, has explained his recent silence over his ongoing dispute (court case) with his former signed-on record label, Dapper Music and manager, Damilola Akinwumi.

In a statement shared on his social media pages, the singer said his legal team and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) advised him to stop publicly commenting on the case while an active investigation is underway. That means no more diss tracks, no more callouts, no more social media posts addressing the dispute, a sharp reversal from the very public offensive he’d been running for weeks.

“I cannot fight for myself using my music nor my words. I cannot sing about it, talk about it, or share it on any media platform for now. My legal team and the EFCC have advised me that for justice to be served, I need to step back and trust the legal process. I have been told that rushed justice can lead to injustice,” he said.

The dispute between the parties became public in mid-August, when Shallipopi, alongside fellow former Dapper Music signees, T.I Blaze and Seyi Vibez, accused Akinwunmi of contractual breaches and financial mismanagement within days of each other — a wave of allegations striking enough in its timing that observers, noted how coordinated it looked, even though the artistes appear to have acted independently.

T.I Blaze’s claim centered on an unexplained ₦1.2 billion; Shallipopi’s allegations went further, accusing Dapper of withholding royalties from 46 of his songs and using his signature on a 10-year distribution deal involving Virgin Music Group.

It is not the first time the two have clashed. Shallipopi first announced his exit from Dapper Music and its affiliate, Dvpper Digital, back in December 2024, alleging advances had been taken against his name and catalogue without his knowledge, and that he’d been pushed toward a post-contract deal handing the company 30 percent of his future earnings. He went on to launch his own label, Plutomania Records, home to artistes including Zerry DL and Tega Boi.

Akinwunmi has denied the latest allegations, stating that he never sold any of the artistes’ catalogues to a third-party distributor, leaving two competing accounts of the relationship that, for now, remain untested in court.

Following Shallipopi’s previous use of his music and platform to press his case publicly, his new statement draws a firm line under that approach. “While I stand firmly by the truth of my claims, I now understand why I cannot make public commentary on matters under active investigation, nor use my artistic expression to address them as I did a few weeks ago,” the singer stated.

Known for confronting conflict head-on, the decision to go quiet is not retreat; it’s strategy. With the EFCC’s investigation now underway, the Elon Musk hitmaker appears to be betting that silence, for once, will serve his case better than sound.