Frank Ocean and Chipotle are reportedly in legal battle over a song the singer was supposed to record for the burrito chain's relatively new "Scarecrow" marketing campaign.
According to the New York Daily News, the 26-year-old singer, whose real name is Christopher Breaux, agreed to sing a remake of the "Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" song "Pure Imagination" in an ad for the restaurant chain.
The Mexican fast food chain gave the singer a $212,500 advance, but Ocean was reportedly upset when company representatives showed him the final cut of the advertisement after noticing that Chipotle's logo was featured at the end of the more than three-minute clip. He thought the ad was about promoting responsible farming.
"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," Ocean's legal team wrote in a letter in August 2013. "There was no Chipotle reference or logo in the initial presentation, and Chipotle told Frank that was an intentional element of the campaign. Frank was also promised that he'd have the right to approve the master and all advertising."
Chipotle responded by filing a lawsuit, claiming that the "Thinkin Bout You" singer failed to return the company's $212,500 advance, which he reportedly received in July 2013, after backing out of the project. Ocean reportedly backed out of a $425,000 deal.
In response to the suit, Ocean sent a cashier's check for $212,500 to an unnamed company. In the memo section, Ocean wrote "F--k Off." He shared a shot of the check on his tumblr page. However, a representative for Chipotle could not confirm that the check was meant for the restaurant, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "We've seen the photo, but haven't received a check."
Fiona Apple later covered the song for the animated short film. Chipotle "Scarecrow" has received more than 12 million views since it was released in September 2013.
