Cam’ron and J. Cole have settled their legal dispute over the 2024 track Ready ’24.
The parties filed notice in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday (May 26) that they had “reached an agreement in principle to resolve the remaining claims” in the case.
The settlement terms were not disclosed. Cam’ron had sought at least USD $500,000 in royalties and damages when he filed the lawsuit in October 2025.
In a letter to Judge Loretta A. Preska, filed by Cole’s attorney Christine Lepera of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (read here), the defendants wrote “with Plaintiff’s consent” that the parties “have reached an agreement in principle to resolve the remaining claims in this action and are finalizing the settlement papers.”
“The parties expect to complete that process within thirty (30) days,” the letter stated.
A proposed order of conditional dismissal was filed (read here) alongside the letter, dismissing the case without costs and without prejudice. Either party may reopen the action within 30 days if the settlement is not finalized.
The initial pretrial conference, which had been scheduled for May 28, was vacated.
Cam’ron (legal name Cameron Giles) filed the original complaint on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) in Manhattan federal court, alleging that he contributed lyrics and vocals to Ready ’24 but was never compensated.
The track appeared on Cole‘s mixtape Might Delete Later, released in April 2024 via UMG‘s Interscope Records.
Giles alleged that he agreed to collaborate on Ready ’24 on the conditions that he would be allowed to sign off on the track before it was released, and that Cole would appear on a future Cam’ron song or on his podcast.
The complaint alleged that Cole agreed to those terms but that none of the conditions were honored.
“Plaintiff never received compensation from Cole, nor did he convey in writing any rights in the sound recording to Cole or the other defendants,” stated the original complaint.
“Plaintiff has not been paid any royalties from the exploitation of the composition or sound recording.”
Giles was listed as a co-author on the composition – which was registered with Warner Chappell Music – but was not credited on the sound recording despite his vocals appearing on the track. The recording was never registered with the Copyright Office, according to the complaint.
Universal Music Group was named as a co-defendant in the case, with Giles seeking an accounting of the income earned by the track.
Cole‘s legal team denied the allegations in a February 2026 filing and sought to have the case dismissed. His attorney argued that Giles had appeared on the song “voluntarily and without condition.”
“It was only after the release of Ready ’24 that he began to demand unreasonable conditions never agreed to by Cole, or an excessive fee inconsistent with industry standards for a featured performance, followed by the filing of this lawsuit without notice to publicly disparage Cole as leverage,” Lepera wrote on behalf of the defendants, according to Billboard.
The settlement follows the pair’s reconciliation approximately two months ago, when Cole appeared on Cam’ron‘s Talk with Flee podcast in March 2026.
During the conversation, Cam’ron said he had filed the lawsuit to get Cole‘s “attention,” while Cole said he was “hurt, almost disappointed” by the legal action.
Cam’ron indicated he had no intention of the case ever going to trial.
Ready ’24 peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its release as part of Might Delete Later in April 2024. The track was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City in June 2022.
Cole released his seventh studio album, The Fall-Off – billed as his final album – in February 2026. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Cam’ron has been active in the hip-hop scene since the 1990s and has released one RIAA-certified Platinum record and three Gold records.Music Business Worldwide
