Trae Tha Truth Sues Houston Radio Station Over Music Ban

Trae Tha Truth has filed a lawsuit against Houston radio station 97.9 KBXX The Box and its parent company Radio One.

The H-town rapper is specifically targeting the station’s general manager Doug Abernathy, program manager Terri Thomas and radio personality Nnete Inyangumia after the station banned his music from receiving airplay.

Trae claims that 97.9—the only hip-hop station in Houston—stopped playing his music after an on-air interview in which Inyangumia accused him of causing violence at a recent public festival. In addition to the ban, he accuses the station of interfering with other personal business dealings. For instance, Trae alleges that Kracker Nuttz, one of the station’s most popular DJs and a 12-year vet of the company, was reportedly fired for accidentally playing a song by Chamillionaire, which featured a verse by Trae.

“I would not have filed a lawsuit, but when other people started being hurt by this ban, I knew I had to stand up,” Trae said. “I just could not let any more people suffer and be punished by the radio station over this ridiculous vendetta.”

Trae is suing for general damages to his reputation, character, and standing in the community, as well as mental suffering, loss of professional opportunities, performance revenue, record royalties and other damages.

“We believe that the defendants have gone beyond the parameters of legally sanctioned activity in first banning Trae’s music, then going as far as to intentionally interfere with his business relationships and thus destroy his career,” says the rapper's attorney Warren Fitzgerald Jr. “I find this behavior repulsive, especially for a radio station that daily champions itself as music artists' ‘best friend.’”

A preliminary hearing is set for May 14. —Brooklyne Gipson