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Kanye West continues to deal with the fallout from canceling his Coachella 2022 performance at the last minute, as the rapper is now facing a new $7 million lawsuit. Phantom Labs, an L.A.-based entertainment production company, alleges Ye stiffed them for several projects dating back as far as June 2021. Some of those events include four of Ye’s well-received Sunday Service events, his “Free Larry Hoover” show with Drake last December, and the Coachella show that was eventually canned by the rapper.
“We are incredibly proud of the work that we did with Ye and are disappointed that such a fruitful relationship has come to this,” Phantom Labs told Variety in a statement. “A celebrity weaponizing fame and reputation to take advantage of eager collaborators is simply unacceptable.”
According to the suit, Ye was actually making good on his bills at the start of their agreement. But as time went on, the Grammy award-winning artist eventually stopped paying. The FADER says Phantom Labs’ breakdown of Ye’s outstanding debt amounts to “$6 million plus $1.1 million in fees resulting from West’s botched Coachella performance as well as additional damages.”
This news comes on the heels of another legal battle against West. As reported by Billboard, the David Casavant Archive is taking the artist to court as well. The two parties reportedly became acquainted with each other eight years ago, when the Yeezy brand started taking off. Ye would allegedly borrow various wares from their “private collection of the world’s rarest and most coveted garments” for all kinds of outings.
And whenever Ye held onto some pieces longer than agreed upon, he would just keep paying the rental fee. However, beginning October of 2020, the rapper supposedly quit doing so for 13 pieces in his possession. According to DCA, Ye’s tab now stands at $221,810, and they want him to pay an extra $195,100 if he can’t produce the clothes because he lost them.
“They are not fungible commodities,” lawyers for the Archive contended in their paperwork. “The replacement fees reflect the loss of future rentals, loan opportunities, publicity, and the lost value to the Archive as a whole, as each lost item is part of a greater collection that derives its value from its completeness.”
According to The FADER and Billboard, Ye has made no statement yet to either outlet about his suit from Phantom Labs or DCA.
