There are times when a rapper will come out and make complaints about their record label. It happens frequently and doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. On Monday (October 25), Meek Mill became the latest rapper to join the club as he vented his frustrations with his label.
The Philly rapper took to Twitter to air out his issues with his current deal in front of his 10.9 million followers. According to Meek, he hasn’t received a single penny and doesn’t know how much money his label takes off his earnings.
“I haven’t get [sic] paid from music and i don’t know how much money labels make off me,” Meek wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “I need lawyers asap!!!”
He added, “Ask the record label? how much have you spent on me as a artist? then you ask how much have you made off me as a artist? i’m about to make my record deal public by monday just to let the world see what these people on!!!”
Meek Mill is currently signed to Atlantic Records and Maybach Music Group while also being under management with Roc Nation. It’s unclear who Meek is talking about, but fans will have to wait until he discloses more details as promised to find out.
N.O.R.E. might have been the source of inspiration for Meek Mill to go to Twitter and vent his frustrations with his label. During a recent visit to the I Am Athlete podcast, the Drink Champs host spoke about his first-hand experience of the ugly side of the music industry.
“When you sign to a major label, that money that they give you, let’s say they give you $800,000, alright? That’s a loan,” N.O.R.E. said. “You have to pay back that loan with interest. So, if you don’t make back that $800,000, what they do is, they put you in the red.
“You can still be hot and you didn’t make back that $800,000. So, they’ll give you another album, and instead of $800,000, they’ll give you $1.2 [million] this time.”
He continued, “But you still in the hole for that $800[K] you understand? But you got another $1.2 [million] and if you don’t make that, then you’re just in the red for both. And this is a loan with interest that you don’t get nothing out of.
“Hip Hop is not meant for the artist to win. It’s never been meant for the artist to win and the more and more you learn, the more and more you read your contracts, the more and more it’s disturbing.”
YG Completely Trashes Past Record Deal Despite Multi-Platinum Hits: 'It Was Fucked Up!'
N.O.R.E. went on to shout out Quality Control Music for the way they put their artists on game with the business side of things. He also shouted out JAY-Z for reportedly giving Rihanna back her masters.
“And that’s why labels like QC is winning because they own it and they’re trying to put their artists on to game,” N.O.R.E. added. “Like when you hear that JAY-Z gave Rihanna back her masters, that’s a real move, ’cause that’s sayin’, ‘I don’t only want my own shit back, but I want something, I want other people to have it back as well.'”
(Full disclosure: Atlantic Records is owned by Warner Music Group; HipHopDX is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.)
NORE is wrong. NO IT IS NOT A LOAN. If your album doesnt sell shit, you don’t pay back that $800K. Nothing happens to your credit. You don’t get sued by the label to recoup the investment. ITS NOT A LOAN. Dummy been in the industry 4 decades and still doesn’t know wtf a loan is. Stick to drinking
Don`t forget they made 360 deals to deal with that.
If your album doesn’t sell shit, you are in debt to the label. That advance, videos, production, and other expenses the label paid for have to be paid back.
Exactly. And since most won’t be able to pay the advance back when their album flops, what do they do? They do like all creditors do: they drop you ( discontinue service) and write the advance off as bad debt. Just like when you don’t pay back a loan. Your credit may not be affected and their may not be any lawsuits, but your reputation most certainly will be affected.
How many albums you put out?
So you really think that’s how it goes huh? Chill bruh stay in the back of the class my boy cause you got it all wrong bro… Let’s say you don’t sale shit and you ain’t recoup that 800k, yes you will be in debt, and furthermore, it’s highly likely your will stay in debt because unlike what Nore said, if yo ass ain’t hot then it’s a high probability that said label won’t release another album on you leaving ya bum ass no way to pay said loan back cause let’s be real, if you had a way to get that type of bread, you for damn sure wouldn’t be trying to rap…
an advance. It’s a loan against royalties you expect (hope) to earn on future record sales, and the label requires a return of the advance. In fact, they will keep revenues until they recoup the full amount of the advance—and that holds true across multiple albums and advances.
diddy is that you.
Probably us
Yeah, you didn’t make anything… except $2 million…?
It’s very clear who he’s talking about. He signed with Atlantic Records, and then they gave him to Rick Ross to get him some buzz back in the day. The original deal is with Atlantic. Classic music business 101 stuff. They chew you up and spit you out. His career is all but over now. Why would they care. They’ve done what they wanted to do with him. He’s considered an old head rapper now. Kashif’s book should be appointment reading for any aspiring recording artist.
Right. MMG is a production company, not a record label. Atlantic is responsible for Meek Mill’s royalties.
Did Roc Nation tell him to do this? Hmmm.
and if you had half a brain under that skull cap you’d get a sponsor to pay for your album expenses. shout-out to Jay Z
Not Rick Ross’s artist ha? Not after what he said about Birdman ha?
He said it himself. He needs a lawyer. How you are as deep into a music career as he is and don’t act on that knowledge is beyond me.
in the minute he takes to get a lawyer they signed the next hood off the street because the guy with the lawyer is “difficult” – these dudes expect you to work for free and try to basically black ball you when you try to do things the right way
Damn Atlantic Records, MMG, and Roc Nation? For every $1.00 = 50 cent to AR, 40 cent to MMG, 40 cent to Roc Nation, and 10 cent to Meek lol
That equals $1.90
do you even know how to count?