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Frank Ocean may have gotten Chipotle off his back, thanks to a newly signed check — complete with a strongly worded memo.
The Mexican food restaurant first sued the musician on Friday, saying it paid Ocean an advance of $212,500 in July 2013 to record a song called “Pure Imagination” for a marketing campaign named the Scarecrow, created to promote local and sustainably sourced food while warning of the dangers of industrial farming. However, Ocean backed out without recording the song because he didn’t want the company’s logo to appear at the end of the film.
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Ocean didn’t return the advance — until now. On Monday, he posted a scan of a check for the amount to his Tumblr, inferring that he is returning Chipotle’s payment. The check’s memo reads, “F— OFF.”
However, a rep for Chipotle could not confirm that the check was intended for the restaurant, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “We’ve seen the photo, but haven’t received a check.”
Chipotle’s lawsuit included a letter that Ocean’s legal team sent the restaurant on Aug. 15, 2013, that reads, “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 reads in part. “Frank was also promised that he’d have the right to approve the master and all advertising.”
Fiona Apple eventually signed on to the Scarecrow campaign and sang “Pure Imagination”, replacing Ocean. Meanwhile, the particularly brand-resistant Ocean teamed with Diplo and The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon for Converse’s first Three Artists, One Song campaign in nearly two years. The song, “Hero,” a reggae-tinged tale of urban bravado, was made available on Monday online.
THR has reached out to Ocean’s rep for comment.
Email: Ashley.Lee@THR.com
Twitter: @cashleelee
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