Chance the Rapper Testifies Against Former Manager Pat Corcoran

Chance the Rapper has testified against his former manager, Pat Corcoran, and indicated that he wishes he had fired him sooner than he did the Chicago rapper appeared in court on Tuesday (March 10) to testify in the jury trial regarding allegations that Corcoran (also known as Pat The Manager) has leveled against him. Corcoran has accused Chance of owing him $3 million in unpaid commissions following the end of their professional relationship in 2020. Corcoran argued that they had a "sunset clause" that would allow him to a percentage of royalties in the three years that followed his firing, but it was a handshake deal and they never got the agreement in writing. "We never described it as a contract until he sued me. We had an at-will agreement that didn’t address termination," Chance (real name Chancelor Bennett) testified on Tuesday. "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 percent [in net proceeds]. … I kept paying him that 15 percent. I can’t think of one situation where he did meaningful work and I didn’t pay him." Chance said that he paid Corcoran $11 million during the time he was his manager, from 2012 to 2020, and that he was "definitely the person that got paid the most" by his registered company, Chance the Rapper LLC. "I probably should have fired him [sooner]," he added, suggesting that various business moves that his former manager made in 2017 and 2018 had him questioning his loyalty. Corcoran filed the lawsuit against his former client in November 2020, the same year he was fired. Chance attempted to have the case dismissed, and filed a countersuit the following year, seeking damages of $1 million for business moves he said Corcoran made for his music career that ultimately only served himself. Chance ultimately replaced him with his father, Ken, and his brother Taylor, who is also a recording artist. Corcoran argued in the lawsuit that he was let go from his managerial role because of "fan disappointment" for Chance’s divisive 2019 album, The Big Day, and disappointing ticket sales for the tour in support of the record. Chance claimed that his family wanted him to do a big media tour around the album, while Corcoran advised him to take a step back and cancel his tour. "My dad was trying to get me in front of people, and Pat’s idea was for me not to be in front of people," Chance testified.

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