Music Death Of The Record Deal: 5 Independent Superstars Who Paved The Way For Jay-Z

When Jay-Z quipped, “I don’t wear jerseys, I’m 30 plus”, the landscape of urban fashion changed before he finished the verse. But you knew that already. Hov’s latest revelation? “I will never have a ‘record deal’ again”, he Twittered last week after news broke about his plan for releasing Blueprint 3. After Friday’s debut of the album’s street single, “Death Of Autotune”, Jay-Z further explained himself in an interview with Hot 97. “I just wanted to be totally independent and free in what I want to do,” he stated. Coming from a guy who prides himself on setting trends, we’re expecting to see every rapper following in his footsteps in the coming months. Or at least trying to.

See, deciding you don’t need a record deal anymore isn’t as easy as storing away your throwbacks in the attic. But luckily, there are some other big names who have decided to go the “independent” route whose struggle we can learn from. Take a moment to look back at some of the independent superstars who paved the way for Jay-Z…