Posted by T.I. has officially filed a lawsuit against Cinq Music, alleging that the independent record label and publisher is refusing to honor a contractual agreement that would allow the Atlanta-based rapper to buy back his music catalog. The dispute centers on a 2017 contract clause that reportedly granted the artist, born Clifford Harris, the option to reacquire his master recordings under specific, favorable terms.
According to reports, the catalog in question includes several of T.I.’s most commercially successful projects from his Atlantic Records era, such as King, T.I. vs. TIP, and Paper Trail. In his complaint, the rapper claims that Cinq Music is now attempting to block the transaction by “artificially inflating” the valuation of the assets. While the original agreement allegedly set the buyback price at approximately $3 million, T.I. asserts that the label is now demanding a figure as high as $52 million.
“Cinq regretted that it had agreed to the [terms], and, therefore […] did everything it could to frustrate [Harris’] efforts to complete the purchase,” the rapper’s attorney, Robert Jacobs, stated in the legal filing. The lawsuit further alleges that Cinq Music manipulated royalty deductions to inflate the price, effectively violating the spirit and letter of their 2017 agreement.
In response to the allegations, a spokesperson for Cinq Music provided a statement to XXL, maintaining the label’s commitment to fairness. “Cinq Music believes in integrity and fairness. We work across the board to foster creativity and ensure our artists are compensated equitably. At the same time, we disagree with the points made by the opposing party as stated in the article. In our opinion, the other side is making a push for Cinq to accept a valuation which is clearly off-base. We will respond through the appropriate legal channels, and continue to seek an agreement fair to all parties.”
As the legal battle unfolds, T.I. continues to focus on his creative output, currently preparing for the release of his twelfth and final studio album, Kill The King. The project is led by the Pharrell-produced single, “Let ‘Em Know.”