A New York judge has granted Maverick City Music a preliminary injunction blocking estranged co-founder Tony Brown from releasing new music during an ongoing lawsuit. The order halts Brown's competing project, God Aura, amid a dispute over his 2023 buyout. Brown must remove his December 2025 album from streaming services.
On April 29, Judge Nancy M. Bannon issued the ruling in favor of Maverick City Music, enforcing a non-compete provision from Tony Brown's $5 million share sale to CEO Norman Gyamfi in 2023. Brown, who co-founded the Grammy-winning group in 2018 with Jonathan Jay, launched God Aura after departing. Maverick City alleges the new venture violates the agreement, while Brown claims the contract is void due to underpayment of about $2 million, linked to unsubstantiated sexual harassment complaints against him. The case has entered discovery, with the full contract validity pending evidence review. An Atlanta judge previously moved the dispute from Georgia to New York in February, rejecting Brown's coercion claims involving Louis Burrell, brother of MC Hammer. Steven Cooper, Maverick City's lawyer at Reed Smith, stated on May 1, “We are very pleased that the court shut down Anthony Brown’s improper competitive activities.” He added, “Mr. Brown tried repeatedly to avoid this hearing, and ultimately his attempts failed, and his bad acts were exposed. Mr. Gyamfi and his companies will continue to aggressively pursue those who violate contracts and engage in wrongdoing against them.” Attorneys for Brown declined comment. The Atlanta-based collective, known for five Grammys and chart-topping hits with members like Chandler Moore, Naomi Raine and Brandon Lake, faces separate litigation from Moore's recent exit.