Rising Chicago rapper LUCKI is facing legal trouble with his longtime label EMPIRE. The label has filed a lawsuit accusing him of breaching his recording contract by releasing new music through rival distributor UnitedMasters. According to court filings, EMPIRE claims it has paid LUCKI nearly $10 million since 2019 and still holds exclusive rights to his recordings under a 2024 renewal agreement.
The label alleges that LUCKI’s attorney deceptively buried a termination notice within legal paperwork to make EMPIRE miss its renewal deadline. A move the label calls a “bad faith tactic.” The dispute escalated earlier this month when LUCKI independently dropped “Not So Virgo of You” on October 1. This release allegedly violating the terms of his EMPIRE contract. In response, the label filed for injunctive relief to block any future releases and asked the court to affirm that its 2024 agreement with the rapper remains legally binding.
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LUCKI Under Fire
LUCKI’s legal team, however, has fired back, describing the deal as “unfair” and overly restrictive. His lawyer argues that EMPIRE’s 50/50 profit split "far exceeds industry standards" and unfairly allows the label to recoup marketing expenses directly from the artist’s share of profits. These are terms they say justify ending the partnership.
Following the lawsuit, “Not So Virgo of You” has already been removed from streaming platforms after EMPIRE issued takedown requests. The song was well received by fans during the short amount of time that it was up. The track was described as "atmospheric" and was the start of his rollout. Meanwhile, Lucki is preparing for the release of his new album 'Drugs R Bad.' There's no set release date for the project yet.
