Another day, another Kanye lawsuit. And yes, that is the second time we've said that this week. This time Kanye West is being sued by LA-based production company Phantom Labs which claims it is owed millions in unpaid fees for work it did on events involving the rapper.
Phantom Labs describes itself as a "creative technology firm" that "brings ideas to life", "crafts narratives", "produces captivating multimedia experiences" and "creates mind-bending content".
Projects it has worked on with West include his Sunday Service events, the 'Donda 2' listening party and last year's 'Free Larry Hoover' show with Drake. It was also working on the rapper's headline set at Coachella earlier this year, a headline set which West then bailed on.
The Coachella cancellation seemingly played a key role in the legal dispute, and not only because the production company allegedly incurred $1.1 million in Coachella-related cancellation fees.
According to TMZ, by the time work began on the festival set, Phantom was owed more than $6 million stemming from the past projects. But it was told those bills would be paid out of the $9 million West was reportedly going to make from his two Coachella 2022 performances.
After West bailed on Coachella just two weeks before his first performance was due to take place, it became clear to Phantom that their unpaid bills weren't going to get paid anytime soon. Hence the litigation.
The production company is now suing for breach of contract, seeking the $7 million plus it is owed and some damages.
A spokesperson for Phantom told Variety: “We are incredibly proud of the work that we did with Ye and are disappointed that such a fruitful relationship has come to this. A celebrity weaponising fame and reputation to take advantage of eager collaborators is simply unacceptable”.