According to XXL, Florida-based label MMMG — which does business publicly as Art@WAR — filed suit in New York federal court last Thursday (Oct. 15), seeking at least $25 million from Cordae, EMPIRE Distribution, Apesh*t and Mass Appeal Records.

The label alleges copyright infringement, breach of contract and tortious interference, all centered on Heavy Is the Crown, the collaborative album with Anderson .Paak scheduled for release Oct. 23 through Apesh*t/EMPIRE/Hi Level/Mass Appeal.

MMMG is asking for a jury trial and an injunction to prevent further alleged violations.

The twist a fan would talk about is that the plaintiff is one of the labels Cordae is currently signed to.

Per the complaint cited by XXL, Cordae signed an exclusive recording agreement with MMMG when executive and attorney James McMillan founded it in 2017, a deal that operated through Atlantic Records and ART@WAR and also brought in YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay.

The label claims the agreement is still in effect and that it owns copyrights to recordings made during its term — yet Cordae's most recent solo album, Crossroads, was released through Art@WAR/Atlantic in 2024, making this clash an internal split rather than a standoff with an outside party.

XXL reports the complaint alleges Cordae violated the deal by recording and releasing the album's lead single, "A Good Day," which arrived in September, without authorization.

MMMG says it sent cease-and-desist letters to the parties in August warning that Heavy Is the Crown would infringe its copyrights and breach the contract, and alleges the defendants released "A Good Day" anyway.

The suit also accuses the rapper of failing to honor the label's contractual rights over merchandising, touring and endorsements, including allegedly withholding its share of revenue, and claims he challenged MMMG's distribution deal with Stem only after the objection deadline had passed.

The damages breakdown reported by XXL shows what MMMG says is at stake: at least $5 million for alleged copyright infringement, at least $15 million for Cordae's alleged contract breaches, and at least $5 million for alleged interference by the other companies, plus the injunction.

The timing is the complication — the full-length reunion with Anderson .Paak, following earlier team-ups like 2019's "RNP," is set for Oct. 23, right as the case lands in court.

XXL has reached out to EMPIRE and Mass Appeal for comment, so the defendants' side remains unheard as of this hour, leaving the album's rollout hanging over a fresh federal docket.