Heavy Is the Crown Is Out and the $25M Fight Over It Is Still On
Anderson .Paak and Cordae’s joint album Heavy Is the Crown arrived on October 23, as announced. Its release followed an attempt by Florida-based label MMMG Inc., which does business as Art@War, to block the project through a lawsuit seeking at least $25 million.
The album is now available to listeners, but the court dispute over Cordae’s recording agreement and the rights to the music has not been resolved. MMMG’s claims remain allegations. The court has not ruled on their merits.
Complex reported that Heavy Is the Crown is an 11-track project released through APESHIT, Mass Appeal and EMPIRE. The album’s release date had been announced in August, as iHeart reported at the time. Complex’s release-day coverage confirms the project arrived as scheduled.
What MMMG alleges
On October 15, MMMG filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Cordae, EMPIRE Distribution, APESHIT and Mass Appeal. Anderson .Paak is not named as a defendant. As Billboard, Complex and Digital Music News reported, MMMG alleges that Cordae remains bound by an exclusive recording agreement signed in 2018.
The label claims the agreement gives it rights to recordings made during the contract term. MMMG also alleges that Cordae’s release of “A Good Day,” the album’s lead single, infringed its copyright. The complaint seeks at least $25 million across its claims and asks for injunctive relief that could block distribution of recordings MMMG says it owns.
According to Digital Music News, MMMG’s requested damages include at least $5 million over the alleged infringement of “A Good Day,” at least $15 million from Cordae for alleged breach of contract, and at least $5 million from the other named defendants for alleged tortious interference. Those figures are demands in a complaint, not a court award.
A disputed distribution change
The central disagreement concerns the status of the 2018 agreement after a change in distribution. Cordae’s team has argued that the contract became void in 2025 following a change in distribution arrangements. MMMG disputes that position, arguing that the agreement remained in force.
The parties’ competing positions have not been decided by a judge. As of the album’s October 23 release, no injunction had been granted to stop the release, and no ruling on the merits had determined whether the contract remained valid. The album’s availability does not settle the question of who owns the recordings or who may be entitled to income from them. The dispute remains unresolved.
What independent artists can take from the case
A release going live is not the same as a rights issue being settled. A song can be streaming while questions about ownership, permissions, revenue shares or contract obligations continue through legal proceedings. The dispute also shows why a distributor change should not be treated as automatic proof that an older agreement has ended.
The points below are general information, not legal advice. Contract terms and the law that applies can vary.
Keep signed agreements and amendments until claims resolve. Store complete copies of recording, distribution, licensing and collaboration agreements, along with any amendments, notices and written approvals. If a dispute begins, preserve records showing when documents were signed, what changed and who approved it.
Read exclusivity and termination clauses before changing distributors. Check what the agreement says about the contract term, options, delivery requirements, distribution arrangements, notices and the steps required to end or challenge the deal. A new distributor relationship does not necessarily cancel existing obligations.
A release date is a business deadline, not a legal deadline. Marketing calendars and delivery schedules matter, but they do not decide ownership or settle contractual disagreements. If rights are disputed, the release plan and the legal question may move on separate timelines.
Get legal advice before announcing a release that could touch an old deal. A planned release can raise issues involving master recordings, samples, licenses, featured performances, distribution and contractual approvals. An entertainment attorney can review the relevant documents and advise on the specific situation before public announcements or distribution.
Publishing
Publishing rights and master-recording rights are related parts of the music business, but they are not the same thing. Publishing generally concerns the composition, the song’s lyrics and music, while a master recording is a particular recorded performance. A dispute over master ownership does not by itself answer every question about songwriting or publishing shares.
Music Business Worldwide reported in 2023 that Cordae launched HI-LEVEL Publishing with PULSE Music Group. That publishing venture is separate context; it does not determine the claims in the current lawsuit over the 2018 recording agreement. Read Music Business Worldwide’s report on the publishing partnership.
Artists who own or control their master recordings may also collect eligible SoundExchange royalties when their music is played on qualifying non-interactive digital services.
Listen and watch
Watch the official “A Good Day” video on YouTube. The track is central to MMMG’s copyright allegations, which remain unproven.
Radio-friendly talking points: 5–10-minute segment cues
- Minutes 0–2: Introduce the update: Heavy Is the Crown was released October 23 as scheduled, despite MMMG’s attempt to block the album.
- Minutes 2–4: Explain the lawsuit in plain language. MMMG seeks at least $25 million and alleges breach of a 2018 exclusive recording agreement and copyright infringement over “A Good Day.”
- Minutes 4–6: Clarify what is and is not decided. No injunction had been granted by release day; the album being out is not a ruling on ownership or liability.
- Minutes 6–8: Share the independent-artist takeaways: retain signed paperwork, review termination terms before switching distributors, and separate release schedules from legal deadlines.
- Minutes 8–10: Distinguish publishing from master rights and explain the SoundExchange note. Remind listeners that the allegations are pending and the court has not ruled on the merits.
For this follow-up, Complex reported the release; Billboard, Digital Music News and Complex’s lawsuit coverage reported the allegations; and iHeart covered the album’s announced release date. The case remains pending.