Little Simz, real name Simbiatu Ajikawo, has filed a lawsuit against her former producer Dean Cover, also known as Inflo, accusing him of failing to repay loans totaling $2.2 million and unlawfully retaining funds reserved for album recording expenses. Cover, who leads the music collective SAULT, is alleged to have withheld money loaned to him by Simz for over a year and failed to properly account for funds provided by Sony's AWAL unit to cover recording costs.

The legal dispute traces back to April 2022, when Ajikawo switched management to an employee of Cover’s company, Forever Living Originals Ltd., after parting ways with her previous manager, Robert Swerdlow of Starwood Music Group Ltd. During this transition, Cover advised her against renewing her contract with Universal Music Publishing, encouraging her to self-publish her music instead. Her last three albums were released through Artists Without A Label (AWAL), a Sony Music Entertainment unit that provides distribution and marketing services to independent artists.

In November 2022, Simz entered an agreement with AWAL, securing a £2 million advance for three albums, along with an additional £625,000 specifically designated for recording costs for her third album. Before receiving this recording budget, she transferred £350,000 and £275,000 to Cover through a Forever Living Originals bank account, expecting the funds to be used for production. Her lawsuit claims that she was under the impression that any unspent money from this budget would be returned to her. However, in an October 2024 letter to her lawyers, Cover’s solicitors allegedly provided an accounting of the recording expenses that only amounted to £524,436, leaving a significant sum unaccounted for.

Beyond the recording budget issue, Simz also alleges that Cover defaulted on multiple loans she extended to him in December 2023 to help finance the first and only SAULT performance at Drumsheds in London. According to the lawsuit, she lent him £1 million on December 1 to ensure the event could proceed, with the agreement that he would repay it by December 4. However, Cover allegedly failed to meet this deadline, later telling her he was “still getting [his] deal over the line” and would return the money “as soon as it lands.” That same month, she provided two additional loans—£500,000 and £200,000—which also remain unpaid.

As a result of Cover’s alleged failure to repay the loans, Simz claims she was unable to meet her full tax obligations in January 2024, leading to financial penalties and additional charges. In an October 2024 letter, Cover’s legal team reportedly acknowledged the debt but attributed it to Forever Living Originals rather than Cover personally.

Cover, who produced Simz’s critically acclaimed albums GREY Area (2019), Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021), and No Thank You (2022), has not yet filed a defense against the claim.

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