Jay-Z is currently being sued by Parlux Fragrances for failing to promote his Gold Jay-Z cologne line properly, and the rapper recently had to testify in court about the dispute.
According to Rolling Stone, the fragrance company is arguing that Jay-Z violated section 11E of their agreement, which stipulated that he must do 'promotional tie-ins' for his perfume line.
Jay-Z testified in court about the fragrance line on October 29th. At one point, when pressed by Parlux Fragrance's attorney Anthony Viola about his failure to comply, Jay-Z insisted he hadn't done anything wrong. "You have me on trial for something I didn't do," Jay-Z said on the stand.
Viola went on to ask whether Jay-Z made any 'personal appearances' for the launch of Gold Jay-Z. The musician declined to answer directly but emphasized that he'd done 'a lot' to promote the fragrance and had lived up to his responsibilities outlined in their countries.
Jay-Z's dispute with Parlux Perfumes is nothing new. The company originally sued the millionaire over breach of contract in 2016. They specifically accused Jay-Z of earning $2 million in royalties from the launch, whereas they say they lost $18 million overall in the deal – which is also the amount they originally sued him for.
Parlux Perfumes argues this lies in the fact that Jay-Z didn't fulfill all of his promotional work. They say he was slated to make appearances on television shows like Good Morning America in order to promote the launch but never fulfilled the obligation.
Interestingly, Jay-Z went on to countersue the company, similarly suggesting they failed to meet their contractual agreements. Court documents reveal the claims Parlux didn't provide him with proper resources or information and also owed him $2.7 million in royalties.
Jay-Z didn't fail to hold back his criticism against Parlux during his testimony. The New York Post notes that he said the company does 'crappy, lazy work', and says he's always had problems with the 'quality of the lazy work' from Parlux Fragrances.
He also disagreed with the retailers Parlux chose to sell Gold Jay-Z in, calling them 'discount stores'.
Jay-Z's week wasn't all bad. The rapper was recently inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He sent in a video message to the official ceremony to express his gratitude for the honor. Other famous faces inducted into the hall this year include Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters, Tina Turner, Ll Cool J, and Carole King.
Sources: Rolling Stone, New York Post, Page Six,