I’ll
be
the
first
to
say
that
rap
lyrics
should
not
be
heavily
relied
on
as
evidence
in
criminal
matters.
The
art
form
is
prone
to
grandiose
fibbing,
the
exact
sort
of
thing
you’d
want
to
keep
out
of
courtrooms
in
matters
of
life,
death,
and
beyond
a
reasonable
doubt
standards.
My
stance
isn’t
as
strong
for
civil
matters,
though.
The
preponderance
of
the
evidence
standard
you’ll
find
in
civil
matters
is
a
lot
closer
to
more
likely
than
not
and,
even
after
acknowledging
how
rappers
present
themselves
need
not
correspond
to
how
they
actually
are,
I’d
be
very
cautious
about
making
a
handshake
deal
with
a
rapper
that
stated
“I
know
contracts
is
like
handcuffs”
and
“I
don’t
make
songs
for
free,
I
make
’em
for
freedom.”
Chance
the
Rapper
—
known
largely
for
Acid
Rap
classics,
that
album
we
do
not
speak
of,
and
famous
adlibs
that
sound
like
he
keeps
finding
large
spider
in
places
they
shouldn’t
be
—
is
in
a
multimillion-dollar
handshake
contract
dispute
with
his
former
manager.
Chicago
Sun
Times
has
coverage:
Chance
the
Rapper’s
big
day
came
on
Tuesday
as
he
took
the
stand
to
testify
in
a
jury
trial
stemming
from
a
five-plus-year
legal
battle
with
his
former
manager,
which
has
put
a
spotlight
on
independent
artist-manager
partnerships
and
the
risks
of
verbal
contracts.At
the
heart
of
the
dispute
are
Pat
Corcoran’s
claims
that
he
is
owed
$3
million
by
the
hip-hop
star,
born
Chancelor
Bennett,
in
unpaid
commissions
after
he
was
let
go
from
his
managerial
role
in
2020.
According
to
Corcoran
(AKA
Pat
The
Manager),
the
two
had
a
“sunset
clause”
in
place
that
entitled
him
to
royalties
for
a
period
of
three
years
post-termination,
although
the
two
former
friends
famously
operated
on
a
handshake
deal
with
no
written
contract
that
defined
the
terms
of
their
working
arrangement.
Handshake
deals!?
COME
ON,
NOW!
As
a
relatively
normal
person,
I
can
cut
Chance
the
Rapper
some
slack
considering
that
the
PSA
against
handshake
contracts
“The
Founder”
wouldn’t
come
out
for
another
five
years:
But
as
a
manager,
you’d
expect
Corcoran
to
explain
that
writing
things
down
would
be
best
practices
for
protecting
himself
and
his
client.
Luckily
for
Corcoran,
Chance’s
admission
to
some
sort
of
deal
makes
the
hill
a
lot
easier
to
climb:
“We
never
described
it
as
a
contract
until
he
sued
me.
We
had
an
at-will
agreement
that
didn’t
address
termination,”
Bennett
testified
in
Cook
County
Circuit
at
the
Daley
Center
as
his
parents,
including
father
Ken
Bennett,
who
now
acts
as
one
of
his
managers,
looked
on.“We
moved
that
way
forever.
We
never
discussed
the
sunset
clause,
we
just
discussed
how
I’d
pay
him.
And
one
thing
that
stayed
consistent
is
that
I
paid
him
his
15%
[in
net
proceeds].
…
I
kept
paying
him
that
15%,”
the
rapper
said.
“I
can’t
think
of
one
situation
where
he
did
meaningful
work
and
I
didn’t
pay
him.”
Sucks
to
be
on
the
hook
for
an
“I
got
you,”
but
that’s
what
lawyers
are
for!
Musicians
signing
their
names
on
deals
that
are
heavily
skewed
toward
music
execs
isn’t
anything
new.
But
Chance’s
relative
success
without
a
record
deal
was.
It
is
a
shame
that
a
prime
example
of
breaking
the
mold
has
to
be
settled
in
a
courtroom.
Chance
The
Rapper
Faces
Off
With
Former
Manager
In
Court
Amid
Years-Long
Legal
Battle
[Chicago
Sun
Times]
Chris
Williams
became
a
social
media
manager
and
assistant
editor
for
Above
the
Law
in
June
2021.
Prior
to
joining
the
staff,
he
moonlighted
as
a
minor
Memelord™
in
the
Facebook
group Law
School
Memes
for
Edgy
T14s
.
He
endured
Missouri
long
enough
to
graduate
from
Washington
University
in
St.
Louis
School
of
Law.
He
is
a
former
boat
builder
who
is
learning
to
swim
and
is
interested
in
rhetoric,
Spinozists
and
humor.
Getting
back
in
to
cycling
wouldn’t
hurt
either.
You
can
reach
him
by
email
at [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.