Key Takeaways
- Stove God Cooks says he renegotiated his Babygrande Records contract after meeting face-to-face with label founder Chuck Wilson.
- "ALBUM ON THE WAY," the Rochester rapper announced, signaling an end to a months-long dispute that stalled his Swizz Beatz-produced project All This for Me.
- Stove has not disclosed the new deal’s terms or announced a release date.
Stove God Cooks has revealed that his long-running contract dispute with Babygrande Records has finally reached a resolution.
The Rochester rapper announced Friday (August 28) that he successfully renegotiated his deal with the independent label after sitting down directly with label founder and CEO Chuck Wilson. More importantly for fans waiting on new music, Stove said an album is now coming.
"Respect to Chuck at Babygrande. He came and sat down face-to-face, and we got the renegotiation done. ALBUM ON THE WAY," Stove wrote on his Instagram Stories.
The development appears to end a months-long public battle between Stove God and Babygrande that spilled onto social media.
Back in January, Stove publicly called on Jay-Z for assistance getting out of his contract. Stove previously claimed he offered to return a $500,000 advance to leave Babygrande but was instead told it would cost him $2.5 million. He also said Jay advised him to satisfy the obligations of his existing agreement.
The dispute later complicated plans for All This for Me, a project produced by Swizz Beatz that was expected to arrive March 27. The album never dropped as scheduled.
Tensions escalated further after Stove reportedly attempted to distribute music himself through direct-to-consumer platform EVEN while still signed to Babygrande. The label blocked the release on the grounds that it controlled the rights to the material.
Lord Jamar, who previously managed Stove and helped connect him with Wilson, also weighed in on the disagreement earlier this year. During a May appearance on Quiet Part Out Loud, the Brand Nubian member argued that Stove could have resolved the contractual situation by completing his obligations to the label.
"He could have been out of this deal if he would have just delivered his projects," Jamar said. "But he took the money, took the advance, and didn't deliver."
Jamar also claimed Stove stopped paying him management commissions after receiving his advance. Still, he made it clear that his issues with the rapper didn't change his opinion of Stove's abilities. "He's talented as fuck," Lord Jamar said. "If Lord Jamar says you dope, I don't care what it is… I know talent when I see it."
Stove God Cooks originally signed with Babygrande in 2021 in what was described at the time as the largest deal in the label's 20-year history.
Now, after months of public back-and-forth, Stove and Wilson appear to have found a path forward. Stove didn't reveal the terms of his renegotiated agreement or announce a release date for his next project.
