Chance the Rapper is slated to be $35 wealthier after a jury ruled that his former friend and business partner must pay him that amount to resolve a five-year legal battle.
“I claim victory in the name of The Lord,” Chance, who was born Chancelor Bennett, told The Chicago Sun-Times shortly after the verdict was announced on Friday.
The Chicago-born artist’s former manager, Pat Corcoran, filed suit against him in 2020, arguing that Chance owed him $3.8 million in unpaid royalties and commissions, based on a handshake deal the two had struck.
Chance and Corcoran’s working relationship lasted from 2012 to 2020, a period that covered Chance’s meteoric and unconventional rise in the music industry. The duo embraced a do-it-yourself approach, bypassing traditional record labels and releasing music for free, and made Chance one of the most famous musicians in the country.
In 2019, Chance announced that he would release his first official studio album, “The Big Day,” without consulting Corcoran, according to court filings, and with a rushed production process. The album was a critical and commercial flop, and led to Chance firing Corcoran in April 2020. Corcoran filed his lawsuit in November of that year.
Corcoran testified that his informal agreement with Chance had a “sunset clause” that entitled him to a share of royalties for three years after his dismissal, but that deal was never put in writing.
Chance countersued in 2021, describing Corcoran as a disgruntled former manager who had committed “shocking violations of his position of trust.” The countersuit asked for more than $1 million in damages.
During the two-week trial, which took place in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago, Chance said there was never any such contract.
“We never described it as a contract until he sued me,” Chance, 32, testified during the trial, according to The Sun-Times. “We had an at-will agreement that didn’t address termination.”
The trial ended in something resembling a draw, with no substantial damages being awarded to either party. The jury found that Corcoran had not proved that there was a contract. But in the countersuit, they ruled that Chance had suffered damages as a result of the business partnership with Corcoran. Those damages? $35.
Lawyers for Chance and Corcoran did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
“We respect the jury’s decision, but the message to music managers is clear: Get it in writing,” Jay Scharkey, one of Corcoran’s lawyers, said in a statement after the verdict, describing the decision as a split one. “The jury award of $35 speaks to how seriously the jury viewed Chance’s case.”
Precious Jacobs-Perry, a lawyer for Chance, said in a statement that the jury had “reached the correct conclusion.”
“Mr. Bennett never agreed to pay commissions after his management relationship with Pat Corcoran ended,” he said, adding that Corcoran had “breached their contract.”
“This ruling is not only a victory for Mr. Bennett,” Jacobs-Perry said, “it is a victory for independent artists everywhere.”
Sopan Deb is a Times reporter covering breaking news and culture.
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