“An artist’s most trusted advisor is his or her personal manager. Generally, nothing good comes out when the manager decides to go into business against his artist. Unfortunately, that is the case here,” said Alex Weingarten, Khalifa’s attorney at Venable LLP.
Wiz dropped Grinberg & Rostrum as his management in 2014, so this lawsuit should come as no surprise. Wiz is hoping that he can can end the “360 agreement” under the California Labor Code’s seven-year rule. The contract allowed Grinberg & Rostrum to dip into nearly every aspect of Wiz’s career for over a decade.
Benjy Grinberg issued a statement that said he was “very disappointed and surprised by today’s news. To witness an artist turn on you after supporting them for a number of years is very disheartening. This is an egregious lawsuit filled with inaccuracies, yet unfortunately people sometimes resort to these practices as a way of conducting business.”
Wiz is seeking $1 million along with punitive damages and attorney’s fees. It’s hard to pick a side on this one because Wiz was very young when he signed the deal and that has been going on for over a decade. On the other hand, Wiz did sign the contract.