Rapper Lucki is facing a lawsuit from Empire Records over claims that he breached his contract with the label.
Filed on October 21 in San Francisco Superior Court, Empire Distribution Inc. accuses Lucki—real name LC Camel Jr.—and his attorney of using deceptive tactics to escape a contract that gave the label the right to option new albums this year.
According to the suit, a 2023 agreement extending from Lucki’s 2019 deal granted Empire the option for three more albums following the release of Gemini LP last June. The label says it exercised that option “by conduct,” citing payments for new studio sessions and over $600,000 in production costs. A formal written notice was also sent in August.
Empire claims to have paid Lucki nearly $10 million in advances and expenses since 2019, securing exclusive worldwide rights to distribute his music.
The label alleges that Lucki’s lawyer sent a termination notice in July—buried within a certified-mail letter and tucked into a single sentence at the end. Empire says a near-identical email was sent without that one critical line, suggesting the setup was “designed to trick” executives into missing the option deadline.
Then, on October 1, Lucki dropped “Not So Virgo of You” via UnitedMasters—an act Empire says violated their exclusivity clause and caused “irreparable harm.” The track has since been removed from streaming platforms.
Empire is seeking an injunction to stop further releases and a court declaration confirming the validity of their 2024 agreement.
Lucki’s lawyer, in a July 2025 letter included in the lawsuit, argued that the deal was “unfair,” citing a 50% profit split below industry standards and claiming the label deducts marketing costs directly from the rapper’s share.
The fate of Lucki’s upcoming album, Drugs R Bad, which he announced in March, is still uncertain.
