Zayn Malik 'slams Naughty Boy friendship'

Zayn Malik has seemingly lashed out at Naughty Boy, calling him a "fat joke".

After the 22-year-old star sensationally quit One Direction in March he took to the studio with Naughty Boy, prompting a spat between the producer and Zayn's former bandmate Louis Tomlinson.

Part of the issue was that Zayn ditched the band as he claimed he wanted to be normal, but he immediately began laying down tracks as a solo star. Naughty Boy even posted early demos of them online, but it seems the men's relationship has soured.

"@NaughtyBoyMusic you fat joke stop pretending we're friends no one knows you (sic)," Zayn fumed on Twitter this morning.

At the moment it's unknown whether this was actually the former boyband star writing, if he had been hacked or exactly what the beef is over.

It seems Zayn is irritated about something though, as he posted another thinly-veiled dig on the social networking site a little later.

"Someone learned how to upload a video... maybe now he should learn how to use logic ha you ain't sh*t but a faker (sic)," he wrote.

Last night part of a video for a song called No Type was posted online and it featured Zayn. There is speculation this is what he's annoyed about, with a fan page dedicated to the star explaining more.

"For those who can't keep up with the situation, Zayn is mad because they uploaded a part of the music video without Zayn's premission," @ZaynM_Updates wrote.

The spat has Zayn's fans on tenterhooks, with many piling in to give their opinions. The vast majority are backing their idol, with some saying they are glad he has finally seen the light and others also criticising Naughty Boy in support of Zayn.

The producer is yet to respond to the remarks, although he has been posting cryptic messages online over the last couple of days.

"this "music" business teaches you the tricks but never the truth . you know who you are," he wrote on Saturday.

"don't feed the hand that bites you (sic)."

This comes hot on the heels of reports Zayn was planning to employ a crack team to help him launch his solo career. According to British newspaper The Daily Mirror, he is eyeing manager Sarah Stennett to help him thanks to her success with stars like Rita Ora.

"Until now, things have been a bit up in the air and a lot of the public information about Zayn's career has come from Naughty Boy chatting about it. But Zayn has decided now is the time to get serious," a source said.

"Sarah Stennett is very experienced. She's one of the best in the industry – but she won't want anybody around who is too much of a livewire or keeps gossiping.

"It might be that Naughty Boy will have to take a back seat in the new set-up."