Music sensation surprises fans with Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing

Superstar singers are on the top of the world when their records are topping the charts.

Artists' careers can come crashing down when their hits stop coming, forcing some stars to file for bankruptcy protection.

The list of singers who have filed for bankruptcy over the years looks like it came from an oldies radio station playlist.

Superstar singers needed bankruptcy protection

Rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, country superstar Willie Nelson, rock icon David Crosby, pop star Cyndi Lauper, and hip-hop star MC Hammer, whose legal name is Stanley Burrell, each filed for bankruptcy at some point in their careers, according to law firm Levitt & Slafkes website.

Superstar rapper and actor 50 Cent in July 2015 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut after losing a $5 million judgment in an invasion of privacy lawsuit, the Florida Times-Union reported at the time.

Singers who have filed for bankruptcy:

Jerry Lee Lewis.
Willie Nelson.
David Crosby.
Cyndi Lauper.
MC Hammer.
50 Cent.

The rapper, whose legal name is Curtis Jackson III, exited bankruptcy in February 2017 after paying off about $23 million in debts, The Guardian reported at the time.

Rapper Phora's company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Getty

Rapper Phora files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

And now, popular rapper Phora has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to restructure his debts owed to major creditors, including Warner Records.

The rapper, whose legal name is Marco Anthony Archer, filed his Subchapter V petition on behalf of his company Phora LLC in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California on Aug. 1, listing up to $50,000 in assets and $500,000 to $1 million in liabilities.

More Bankruptcy:

The debtor's largest creditors included Oren Lang, owed $400,000 in a contingent, unliquidated, disputed claim; Warner Records, owed $200,000 in a contingent, unliquidated claim; and Nixon Peabody, owed over $77,000, according to the petition.

Phora also listed Kobalt Music Publishing as a creditor.

Phora LLC's top creditors:

Oren Lang, owed $400,000.
Warner Records, owed $200,000.
Nixon Peabody, owed over $77,689.

The rapper's petition did not indicate a specific reason for filing for bankruptcy.

The rapper Phora, 30, began rapping in 2011 and landed his first major recording contract with Warner Records in 2017, releasing his debut album “Yours Truly Forever,” which rose to No. 44 on the Billboard 200 album chart in September 2017.

Two subsequent Phora albums hit the Billboard 200 chart, “Love Is Hell” at No. 87 in October 2018 and “With Love II” at No. 160 in November 2020.

Phora launched his own record label

Phora left Warner Records in 2019 to launch his own label, releasing his first independent album on Yours Truly Records, “Bury Me with Dead Roses,” according to AllMusic.com.

The rapper is on a 19-show tour that begins in Oklahoma City on Aug. 1 and ends Sept. 28 in Palm Springs, Calif.

A show scheduled for Austin, Texas, on July 31 was cancelled.