10 Artists Who Threatened to Leak Their Albums

Artists beefing with their labels is nothing new, especially when it comes to album releases.

Nov 17, 2014
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Complex Original

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Artists beefing with labels over their music is nothing new. Lupe Fiasco had it out with Atlantic Records during the creation of his third studio album, Lasers, Kid Cudi blasted Universal Republic for not handling his project WZRD as a priority, and 50 Cent even took shots at former Interscope head Jimmy Iovine on wax. 

This is all to say that artists are very sensitive when it comes to their music. And the easiest way a label can piss off their talent? By delaying the release of an album. Because of this exact issue, a trend has taken place over the last few years where artists have threatened to release their albums on their own terms. Sometimes they lose their composure in the public sphere, and other times they go off the rails, because #Art. From M.I.A. to Jeezy​, as well as Tyga's latest troubles with Young Money, here are 10 Artists Who Threatened to Leak Their Albums.

Saigon

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Date: June 1, 2007

Unfortunately, some artists aren't cut out for the major label game. Saigon found this out the hard way during the earlier part of his career, as the once-Atlantic Records signee had difficulties figuring out how to deliver his street-laced material to a broader audience. A handful of failed commercial singles later, Atlantic put his debut studio album, The Greatest Story Never Told, on the shelf.

By June 2007, the Brooklyn rapper had had enough of the industry politics, voicing plans to leak his much-anticipated project. “Please don't believe that the holdup of my album has anything to do with me or my work ethic or my rate of producing great music,” he posted on MySpace. “If you go to YouTube and type in JBTV Saigon, you will hear snippets of my album that Atlantic doesn't seem to have the desire to release."

“My fans will hear my entire album very soon whether they put it out or not,” he added. “If they don't I will and let y'all be the judge of if the music is great or not.” At the behest of close collaborator and executive producer Just Blaze, Saigon pulled the post down. In 2008, Saigon was finally released from Atlantic, and walked away with his masters for The Greatest Story Never Told to boot. The project dropped in 2011 and sold 11,000 copies in its first week.

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T-Pain

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Date: Feb. 6, 2011

For about a four-year period in the 2000s, you couldn't go anywhere without hearing T-Pain's Auto-Tuned hit records all over the radio. However, his star began to burn out by the end of the decade, and the Tallahassee, Fla., native became less of a force in music. That hindered the release of his fourth studio album, REVOLVEЯ, which suffered several delays due to lack of momentum from a commercial standpoint. That, and people were apparently stealing his music and throwing it up online without his permission.

T-Pain's fed-up meter reached an all-time high in February 2011, when he posted a message on Twitter that mapped out his frustrations. “Since nobody wants to respect this form of art that you all say we 'love' so much, I'm just gonna go ahead and start leakin the album myself tonight,” he stated. “Everybody was lookin at me strange when I said I didn't wanna drop my album, it's not that album sales weren't doing good for hip hop and [R&B], it just felt like no one respected 'music' anymore. You know what, you guys enjoy the post game and I'll find my own ways to take care of my family."

“To all the hackers and leakers thanks for showin interest in my music but I feel like I've been taken advantage of,” he continued. “I'm just tryin to let [people] know what's going on with my music and then you audio highjack it for your own amusement. I would have been happier if you would have just waited to get a better quality version of the song but it's cool its pretty much my fault anyways, so for the most part y'all can suck a fart out of a homeless mans ass.”

T-Pain would also leak a few songs, but not before his label pulled them down. REVOLVEЯ finally dropped at the end of 2011, selling 34,000 copies in its first week.

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M.I.A.

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Date: Aug. 8, 2013

M.I.A.'s rocky relationship with Interscope Records has been well-documented over the last few years. Back in July of 2013, a trailer from a documentary she was scheduled to release leaked after director Steve Loveridge grew tired of internal issues with Interscope and M.I.A.'s management team at Roc Nation.

30 days later, the British singer-songwriter made it known she and Interscope weren't seeing eye to eye for her fourth studio album. “Who would stop Matangi from coming out?” she asked rhetorically. “If Interscope takes longer I can always leak this next week and make a new one by the time they are ready.” In earlier months, M.I.A. had referenced postponements to the album because Interscope wasn't satisfied with the direction of its content. Matangi would eventually be released in November 2013, selling 15,000 copies in its first week.

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Danny Brown

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Date: Aug. 12, 2013

Danny Brown has thrived over the last few years, and a big part of that is because of his alignment with independent imprint Fool's Gold. However, his relationship with the label hit a rut when his third solo release, Old, sat on the shelf in 2013. “Man Old fuck around and never come out…Smh,” he stated in frustration. “I'm a fuck around and leak that shit myself if niggas don't get it together.” Label co-founder A-Trak stepped in to offer some positive vibes to the sour situation, and a release date for the project was finally shared to Brown's satisfaction. Old dropped two months after the Twitter incident, moving 15,000 units in its first week.

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Hopsin

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Date: Nov. 6, 2013

Hopsin contemplated leaking his album back in November 2013, but not because of problems with his label, Funk Volume. In a series of troubling tweets, the Los Angeles rapper referenced his own personal issues, claiming he wanted to commit suicide after dropping Knock Madness.

“If there was ever a day I was gonna blow my brains out, it would be today forsure,” he said. “I was thinking about leaving after my album dropped and I toured, but I just might do it today.” The following day, he continued, “Dont [sic] become a rapper. you will become a zombie if you do. I should have been a porn star. I will probably just leak my own damn album.” Knock Madness was released later that month, selling 4,000 copies in its first week.

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Jeezy

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Date: Nov. 12, 2013

Jeezy dealt with several album delays for his fourth studio release, TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition, which spent nearly two years out of sight before being released in 2011. The same scenario took place for his latest album, Seen It All, and in late 2013 the Atlanta rapper finally had enough. “I been perfecting this album 2 years for my fans,” he explained on Twitter. “Niggas [at Def Jam] keep playing games if you want! If Def Jam don't get this right y'all got an early xmas gift.” Seen It All would finally be released in September '14, selling 121,000 copies in its first week, his lowest debut tally to date.

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Angel Haze

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Date: Dec. 18, 2013

Of the artists listed, Angel Haze is the only one to successfully follow through on her plans, though we can't say it was a good look for the young rapper. In December 2013, Angel Haze expressed her disappointment with Island/Republic as her debut album, Dirty Gold, was pushed back to 2014 despite the label allegedly promising her an earlier release.

“It's so annoying that my label could tell me that if I fucking finished my album before the summer it would be out this year,” she said on Twitter. “I did not promise an album and not deliver, unlike every fucking one else. I sat my ass down and came up with this music when I had nothing. So sorry to Island/Republic Records, but fuck you. I got here doing this for my fans and if you guys don't feel the same, it won't stop me.”

After a few more tweets, Angel posted a SoundCloud link to a full album stream, which the label took down immediately. In a roundabout way, Angel did get her wish: Dirty Gold was released Dec. 30, selling less than 1,000 copies in its first week.

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Azealia Banks

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Date: March 20, 2014

While Azealia Banks found early success with Interscope Records through her breakout 2012 EP, 1991, her debut album, Broke With Expensive Taste, was pushed back indefinitely after failure to gain a larger audience with singles “Yung Rapunxel” and “ATM Jam.”

In January 2014, Banks publicly requested Interscope drop her so she could release new music for fans. The issue boiled over in March 2014, when Azealia tweeted plans to leak her album. “Album leaks starting April 15th,” she stated. Banks would eventually get out of her contact with Interscope and release her album independently. The project sold a little over 11,000 copies in its first week.

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Ab-Soul

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Date: May 1, 2014

TDE has notoriously been great at keeping inner-circle issues out of the public sphere. That stoic stance slipped when Ab-Soul hinted at dropping his album These Days… on his own terms. “I'm this close to just leakin my shit like its a mixtape,” he said on Twitter. This after projects from Isaiah Rashad, SZA, and ScHoolboy Q came out on schedule. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO of TDE, responded, “I dare a nigga on my team leak his album.” Ab-Soul's album would eventually be released in June 2014, selling nearly 22,000 copies in its first week.

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Tyga

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Date: Oct. 10, 2014

Tyga's latest predicament with Young Money/Cash Money/Republic is a perfect example of problems that can arise when an artist is signed to another artist. His album, The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty, has been promoted over the last year, yet no concrete plans had been revealed concerning its release during this time period. This after both Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj received dates for their upcoming projects.

In October, Tyga voiced his displeasure, stating, “Gold album been done. My label holding me hostage so I can't release nothing. Might just leak it for my fans then let them make [money] off it.” He also hinted at leaving the label when a fan asked if he was still signed to Young Money. Soon after, label president Mack Maine had an exchange with Tyga, and cooler heads prevailed, we assume. The Gold Album is now set for a Dec. 23 release, but since this is Young Money we're talking about, we'll take that date with a grain of salt.

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