Cordae Sued for $25M Over Anderson .Paak Joint Album
Cordae faces a US$25 million lawsuit over his collaborative album with Anderson .Paak, filed just eight days before the record is due out.
MMMG Inc., a Florida-based label, sued the rapper on Thursday, Oct. 15, alleging he violated an exclusive record deal, an agreement that stops an artist from recording for anyone else. The company claims the joint album, Heavy is the Crown, breaches that deal. Billboard states it obtained the legal complaint.
Heavy is the Crown is set for release on Oct. 23 through APESHIT, Mass Appeal and EMPIRE, according to the complaint as reported. Cordae and .Paak released the lead single ‘A Good Day’ in September after announcing the project in August. Anderson .Paak is not personally named in the case and is not accused of wrongdoing.
At the centre of the dispute is a deal MMMG says dates to 2018. The label says it signed Cordae that year and released his first two albums with distribution from Atlantic Records. It now claims 100% ownership of his recorded copyrights, the legal rights that control reproduction and use of recordings, plus sole rights to his merchandise, touring and endorsements.
That last claim matters. A deal that covers records plus touring and merchandise is often called a 360 deal, in which the label also takes a share of income beyond music sales. MMMG alleges Cordae breached that wider agreement for years by selling merchandise on his own without sharing profits.
The label says it sent a cease-and-desist letter, a formal demand to stop alleged infringement, to Cordae and his new label and distribution partners after Heavy is the Crown was announced in August. It is now seeking US$25 million in total damages for breach of contract and copyright infringement.
Cordae’s lawyers dispute that the contract still applies. They argue the MMMG deal is no longer valid because the label switched distributors from Atlantic to Stem in 2025, according to the complaint as reported.
The case also targets the companies behind the new album. MMMG brings copyright and tortious interference claims against APESHIT, Mass Appeal and EMPIRE. Tortious interference is the claim that a third party improperly persuaded someone to break a contract.
The two rappers have worked together before. Cordae’s 2019 debut LP was titled The Lost Boy, and it featured an Anderson .Paak collaboration titled “RNP” Rolling Stone.
For fans, this means a legal fight and a release date are now running side by side. The album is still listed for Oct. 23. The court will decide who controls the music.
