Rapper Cordae is facing a federal lawsuit seeking at least $15 million over allegations that he and three record labels violated an exclusive recording agreement ahead of his collaborative album with Anderson .Paak.
MMMG Inc. filed the 20-page complaint Thursday in federal court in New York against Cordae, EMPIRE, APESHIT and Mass Appeal, according to a report by AllHipHop published Friday, October 16.
The company claims an agreement signed in April 2018 gives it exclusive rights to Cordae’s recordings, including his upcoming album, Heavy Is The Crown, which is scheduled for release October 23.
According to the complaint, the defendants did not obtain permission from MMMG before moving forward with the project.
“Defendants never requested nor received a license from MMMG to release this album,” attorney Jeffrey M. Movit of Cohen & Gresser wrote in the filing.
The allegations have not been established in court, and the supplied report does not include a response from Cordae or the record labels.
MMMG Challenges Album and Single Releases
The lawsuit also targets “A Good Day,” released September 16, and its accompanying music video. MMMG alleges that the release involved recordings used without authorization.
Beyond the disputed music, the company accuses Cordae of withholding revenue connected to merchandise, touring and other commercial activities.
According to the complaint, “he refuses to pay MMMG its contractual share of the revenues.”
MMMG is seeking at least $15 million from Cordae for alleged breach of contract. It is also pursuing $5 million from the three record labels over claims that they induced the rapper to breach the agreement.
The company separately seeks at least $5 million in connection with “A Good Day,” or statutory damages for alleged copyright infringement.
MMMG has also requested a jury trial and an injunction that would prevent further distribution of recordings it claims to control. If granted, the requested injunction could affect the availability of the disputed material, although no ruling described in the supplied report establishes that such restrictions are in place.
Dispute Traces Back to Atlantic Records Deal
The disagreement also involves a change in Cordae’s distribution arrangements.
MMMG claims Atlantic Records terminated its distribution agreement on September 2, 2025. The company says it subsequently secured a replacement agreement with Stem and notified Cordae’s attorneys two days later.
MMMG argues that the replacement deal satisfied a contractual provision allowing six months to obtain another distributor.
However, Cordae’s attorneys allegedly challenged whether the Stem arrangement met the agreement’s requirements. MMMG maintains that its exclusive recording contract remains enforceable.
Cordae established his own venture, Hi Level, in 2021 while signed to Atlantic Records. He and Anderson .Paak previously collaborated on “RNP,” a track from Cordae’s 2019 debut album, The Lost Boy.
Their upcoming joint project has now become the focus of a legal dispute involving recording rights, distribution agreements and revenue claims.
According to AllHipHop, no defense response appeared among the five public docket entries reviewed at the time of its report. That does not establish how the defendants will respond as the case progresses.
For now, the lawsuit presents a potential legal complication ahead of the album’s scheduled release. The court will ultimately determine whether MMMG’s contractual and copyright claims have merit.
