Industry & Culture

The (Former) Carter Administration May Just Lose One

Shooter  |  01/25/2008 at 2:00 PM  |  Comments (1)

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Douglas "Biggs" Ellison, CEO of Four Kings Productions, Inc. was suing Def Jam on the grounds that he discovered their latest diamond in the rough, soul chanteuse Chrisette Michele, he signed her to Four Kings, and that Carter, Reid, and whomever else associated (including Chrisette's parents) have tried to, among other things, nullify and extricate Chrisette out of her exclusive contract with his company.

Bear in mind this is the same "manager" that Chrisette attempted to sue back in July under claims of embezzlement and harassment (although she rescinded her suit weeks later for reasons unknown). And in a statement issued earlier this morning by her publicist, Rochelle Brown, Ellison's lawsuit was referred to as "just a case of the jilted lover and gold digging manager getting caught." Brown asserts that while Ellison did help secure Michele's deal with Def Jam, he did not discover her, that once their romantic relationship failed, he decided to seek revenge through the aforementioned embezzlement and harassment (including the stealing of funds allocated for the payment of recording sessions and samples used on Chrisette's debut album, I Am), and that the only party involved to have breached any formal contract is Ellison himself.
While all the signs of a jilted lover/manager bent on revenge seem to be there and painted in neon red, yellow, and green, it can't help but be wondered if there's any hint of truth to this story. It's no secret that multi-million conglomerates foolishly believe that money equals invincibility. Record labels do have a history of signing artists with exclusive management deals only to "buy" them out later (note the strained relationships between Jazze Pha and Rich Harrison and their former Sho'Nuff and Richcraft artists Ciara and Amerie). And they certainly have more than enough funding to spin any unflattering accusation around. Whatever the case and whoever the blame, hopefully it's resolved with the quickness so that I Am can be unearthed from the shuffle it's been lost in and move Chrisette on to bigger and better things. She does have a (potential) Grammy win to prepare for after all.

Tags: chrisette michele, def jam, jay-z