Cordae Hit With $25 Million Lawsuit as Label Seeks to Block Anderson .Paak Album

Rapper Cordae is facing a $25 million federal lawsuit from a record label seeking to block the release of his upcoming album with Anderson .Paak, alleging that the project violates an exclusive recording contract signed eight years ago. The suit, filed October 15, 2026, comes just eight days before Heavy Is the Crown is scheduled for release on October 23.

Florida-based MMMG Inc. filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Cordae and three companies involved in the album's release, APESHIT, Mass Appeal and EMPIRE. The label accuses Cordae of breach of contract and copyright infringement, while bringing copyright and tortious interference claims against the companies. Anderson .Paak, who operates APESHIT, is not personally named as a defendant.

According to the complaint, MMMG signed Cordae to an exclusive recording agreement in April 2018 and released his first two albums through a distribution arrangement with Atlantic Records. The company claims the contract gives it full ownership of his recorded copyrights and exclusive rights involving merchandise, touring, and endorsements. It alleges that Cordae has withheld its share of revenue from merchandise sales for years and is now preparing to release an entire album through competing companies without authorization.

The central dispute concerns whether that agreement remains enforceable after Atlantic Records ended its distribution relationship with MMMG on September 2, 2025. The label says its contract with Cordae allowed six months to secure another distributor and that it reached a replacement arrangement with Stem within days, notifying his attorneys on September 4.

Cordae's lawyers have challenged whether Stem satisfies the distribution requirements specified in the original agreement, according to the complaint. MMMG rejects that position as "utterly lacking in merit," maintaining that the change in distributors did not terminate its exclusive rights. The court's interpretation of those provisions could determine whether Cordae remains bound by the recording contract and whether MMMG can enforce its claimed control over the new material.

The conflict intensified after Heavy Is the Crown was announced in August. MMMG says it sent cease-and-desist demands to Cordae and the companies handling the release, warning that the project violated its contractual and copyright interests. The label alleges that Cordae rejected those demands and proceeded with the rollout, including the September 16 release of the lead single, "A Good Day," and its accompanying music video.

"Defendants never requested nor received a license from MMMG to release this album," the company's attorney, Jeffrey M. Movit of Cohen & Gresser, wrote in the complaint.

MMMG is seeking at least $15 million from Cordae for alleged breach of contract, at least $5 million in connection with the copyright claims involving "A Good Day," and at least $5 million from the companies accused of interfering with its agreement. The copyright demand alternatively seeks damages available under federal law, meaning the amounts requested under the different claims may not all be recoverable together.

The distinction between the contract and copyright allegations is significant. MMMG must establish that Cordae violated an enforceable agreement to prevail on its breach claim, while the copyright claims require proof of ownership of protected material and infringement of those rights. The allegations against APESHIT, Mass Appeal and EMPIRE also raise the question of whether the companies knowingly interfered with MMMG's contractual relationship with the rapper.

Beyond financial damages, the label is asking the court for an injunction preventing further unauthorized distribution or use of recordings it claims to own. Such an order could affect Heavy Is the Crown, although the filing of a lawsuit does not itself suspend an album release. A court would have to grant an order restricting distribution before the defendants could be legally required to halt it on that basis.

The complaint also seeks a jury trial. No court has ruled on MMMG's claims, and the publicly available docket information reviewed as of October 16 does not establish that an emergency injunction has been requested or granted. Heavy Is the Crown remains scheduled for release on October 23.