This past February, South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster released a video called “13 MUSIC” that purportedly featured a track co-written and co-produced by Kanye West and his collaborator Malik Yusef. After its release, however, Kim Kardashian West tweeted, “Kanye is not involved and did not produce this song.” Gentle Monster subsequently took down “13 MUSIC” and all associated promotion.

Today (May 16), Gentle Monster has filed a lawsuit against Malik Yusef and others, The Hollywood Reporter reports and Pitchfork can confirm. In the lawsuit, filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Gentle Monster claims that “Yusef used his seemingly close relationship with Kanye West to deceive Gentle Monster into believing that he could bring some of the world’s most talented artists together to produce a series of videos designed to increase Gentle Monster’s global brand recognition.”

According to the complaint, Yusef did successfully arrange a meeting between Kanye West and Won Lee (Gentle Monster’s U.S. CEO) in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Following the meeting, the suit alleges, Yusef gave Lee a Universal Music Publishing Group song agreement that granted Yusef permission to use a song called “New Angels” for Gentle Monster’s campaign. The agreement appeared to have West’s signature and a copy of his driver’s license, but lawyers for Gentle Monster claim that “Yusef procured this agreement without Kanye’s knowledge or consent.”

Along with fraudulently reproducing West’s signature, Gentle Monster says that Malik Yusef claimed he could get Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Vic Mensa, Michael K. Williams, Jaden Smith, Parison Jackson, Amber Rose, and Rosario Dawson to participate in the campaign. (Vic Mensa and Michael K. Williams did appear in the “13 MUSIC” video.) Gentle Monster claims that it sent Malik Yusef $2.5 million to procure talent and execute the campaign.

Of the $2.5 million, Gentle Monster says it sent $500,000 to “Donda Social Agency, Inc.,” which Gentle Monster believed to be Kanye West’s charity. In June 2018, however, the West-co-founded nonprofit Donda’s House changed its name to Art of Culture, Inc.

Gentle Monster is suing Malik Yusef, his manager and business partner Burundi Partlow, and Sonja Nutall, who introduced Won Lee to Yusef. The company is seeking relief for fraud, breach of contract, and more. Find the lawsuit below (via THR).

Earlier this year, German fashion brand Philipp Plein claimed that Malik Yusef and Burundi Partlow scammed the company out of $900,000 after Yusef claimed he could book West to appear at the brand’s New York Fashion Week event. Like Gentle Monster, Phillip Plein alleged that Yusef forged West’s signature and used false charity names.

https://pitchfork.com/news/kanye-associate-malik-yusef-sued-for-fraud-by-korean-fashion-brand