Cordae faces a $25 million lawsuit from Florida-based label MMMG Inc., which is seeking to stop the release of his collaborative album with Anderson .Paak.
The label alleges that the project, Heavy Is the Crown, breaches an exclusive recording agreement signed in 2018.
The album is scheduled for Friday, October 23, through EMPIRE, APESHIT and Mass Appeal, rather than MMMG. The label is seeking damages from Cordae and those labels. Anderson .Paak is not a defendant.
Recording rights at issue
In its filing in the Southern District of New York, MMMG says it entered an agreement with Cordae, whose legal name is Cordae Amari Dunston, in April 2018.
The agreement included exclusive ownership of his recorded copyrights, along with rights covering:
- Merchandising
- Touring
- Endorsements
MMMG alleges that both the forthcoming album and the duo’s advance single violate Cordae’s exclusivity obligations. The filing says additional copyright infringement claims will follow if the album is released as scheduled.
Distributor clause disputed
The case also concerns whether Cordae’s shift from Atlantic to Concord’s Stem for distribution fulfilled a contractual provision allowing MMMG six months to secure a qualified distributor.
Cordae’s lawyers argue that the arrangement was invalid without an inducement letter accepting the deal’s terms.
MMMG maintains that its agreement with Cordae requires no such letter and alleges that his challenge to the arrangement’s authenticity was made in bad faith.
Heavy Is the Crown remains scheduled for Friday, although its release could be halted if the court grants MMMG’s requested injunction.
