A Cook County jury ruled on March 20 that Pat Corcoran, known in the industry as "Pat the Manager," failed to prove he was owed $3.8 million in unpaid commissions and royalties from Chance the Rapper. In Chance's countersuit, which sought $1 million in damages, the jury awarded Chancelor Bennett $35. Corcoran was also ordered to relinquish the domain name ChanceRaps.com, which he had used to sell Chance merchandise after his termination.
The case ran for over two weeks, covering an eight-year partnership that began in 2012 and ended in April 2020 with the fallout from Chance's critically panned album, The Big Day. The core dispute was whether an oral agreement — Corcoran would receive 15% of net profits — included a "sunset clause" guaranteeing three years of earnings after termination. The jury found no evidence of such a clause. Corcoran's legal team called it a split decision. Chance's lead attorney called it a complete vindication. Chance told reporters outside the courthouse: "I claim victory in the name of the Lord."
The dollar amount is almost beside the point. What the verdict actually settled is the question of what the partnership was worth on Corcoran's terms: nothing. A manager who helped build one of independent hip-hop's most celebrated careers, who worked without a written contract for the entire duration of their relationship, walked away with a bill for $35. Corcoran's attorney put it plainly: "The message to music managers is clear — get it in writing."
That lesson has surfaced elsewhere in hip-hop business dealings. When Young Thug bought a $5 million Cooper City, Florida mansion in cash this July, he and his manager, Geoff Ogunlesi, structured it through a trust and an LLC — the kind of formal paperwork that was never in place between Chance and Corcoran.
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