Frank Ocean Sued By Chipotle, Proceeds to Write Fake Check
Frank Ocean just got sued by Chipotle... but don't worry, the McDonald's-owned franchise got their money back! So, what happened between the singer and the fast food giant?
Well, according to USA Today, Chipotle commissioned Ocean to sing a remake of the Willy Wonka song "Pure Imagination" (not sure how that would fit into a Chipotle commercial, but okay...). For his efforts, Chipotle wrote him a check for over $200,000 (with the balance to be due when he completed the song). The total payday for Mr. Ocean -- real name Christopher Breaux -- was $425,000.
Needless to say, Ocean didn't complete the gig, so Chipotle sued for the initial down payment. (Fiona Apple, who's apparently hard up for a gig these days, ended up recording the song. And there goes another piece of my childhood...)
Not to worry, though: according to Rolling Stone, Ocean went to the bank, took out a cashier's check for that exact amount, and wrote "F--k Off" in the "memo" line. He then posted the check to his Tumblr account for the world to see.
But according to Chipotle, the check is just "fugazi," (not the punk band of the same name... oy...) as they say in the hip-hop world. A spokesman for the fast food giant told Rolling Stone that no such check was ever received: "If/when we get a check from Frank, we should be able to close the books on this. Right now, all we have is a photo online."
Part of the reason for Ocean's dislike for Chipotle is the company's policy of irresponsible, non-sustainable farming, and he wrote a letter to the media explaining as much. "When Frank was asked to participate in this project, Chipotle's representatives told him that the thrust of the campaign was to promote responsible farming. There was no Chipotle reference or logo in the initial presentation, and Chipotle told Frank that was an intentional element of the campaign," the letter said. "Frank was also promised that he'd have the right to approve the master and all advertising."
A rep for Ocean declined comment on the matter.
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