Producers of the ‘Drake’s Homecoming’ Film Are Considering Suing Drake

The maxim says that no press is bad press, but Drake and his team evidently disagree. With a film called Drake's Homecoming: The Lost Footage scheduled to hit theaters this Thursday (March 19) for a one-night limited engagement, the Canadian rapper and his OVO team--to say nothing of his legal counsel--are trying to distance themselves from the project. But according to the Los Angeles Times, the film's producers are considering legal action of their own. In their eyes, Drake's refusal to let the project go on unfettered (and his repeated insistence that the film is "unauthorized") violate a contract that he singed with a production company called Serious Entertainment back in 2009. That agreement allowed Serious to film a concert that same year at Toronto's Sound Academy in exchange for paying the then-22-year-old rapper a $15,000 advance and guaranteeing him 15% of the film's profits. That concert took place--and was filmed--in May of 2009. A month later, Drake had announced his signing to Cash Money/Young Money; the following year, in June of 2010, he would release his debut LP, Thank Me Later.

Mark Berry, chairman of another production company called Attack Media (and one Homecoming's producers), said of Drake, "I think he thought nothing was going to happen with the film,” adding that the issue boils down to "someone not honoring a contractual commitment to another person.” To complete the film, Serious partnered with Attack, and the two eventually joined forces with Rap-A-Lot Records. J. Prince, the CEO of Rap-A-Lot, and his son, Jas--who is widely credited with discovering Drake--both gave interviews for the film. For his part, Drake tweeted: “The Drake Homecoming film is not something OVO or Drake have any part in. I feel it is my responsibility to inform and protect my fans." Attack and Serious are contemplating a libel suit worth as much as $15 million.

XXL reached out to Drake's reps for comment. TMZ reports that Drizzy has no problem with J. Prince nor Jas Prince.

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