Platinum-selling rapper Cam’ron has taken fellow hip-hop star J. Cole to court, claiming he is owed $500,000 for his work on their 2024 collaboration, “Ready ’24.”
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, accuses Cole of failing to honor a prior agreement regarding the song. According to the complaint, obtained by Rolling Stone, Cam’ron—whose real name is Cameron Giles—was credited only as a co-author of the composition, not as a performer, even though his vocals appear on the track. The seven-page filing also alleges that Cole broke other promises tied to the collaboration. Cam’ron claims he agreed to record “Ready ’24” with the understanding that Cole would perform on a future single with him.
Cam’ron claims Cole and his company, Cole World Inc., along with Universal Music Group, dropped the song on Cole’s 2024 project Might Delete Later without his sign-off, violating their verbal agreement. The Harlem rapper says he and Cole recorded “Ready 24” in June 2022 at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan.
According to the complaint, the two had a verbal understanding: the song would not be released unless Cole either featured on one of Cam’ron’s singles or appeared on his sports-and-culture show It Is What It Is. Cam’ron alleges Cole went ahead with the release anyway, without notice and without credit. The lawsuit points out that while both artists are listed as co-authors of the composition with the U.S. Copyright Office, the master recording lacks proper registration and acknowledgment.