Image via Complex Original
To put a spin on one of hip-hop’s most classic lines—somehow the rap game reminds us of the trap game. You hear the stories of rappers enduring trials and tribulations with their labels, as most get caught in no-win situations where their careers and catalogs are put on hold. Then there’s that 10 percent of established acts who see their value marginalized by whack decisions to limit buzz-inspiring opps. But rather than putting these beefs on wax, today’s rap acts are embracing the most effective social media platform for communication, Twitter, to get at the suits managing their careers. And as you’ll see, it has become a popular trend that's expanded throughout the years. Here is A Brief History of Rappers Blasting Their Labels on Twitter.
Joell Ortiz's Indie Problems
Date: March 23, 2010
Tweet fired: "E1 is fucking cockblocking us from doing something monumental for our fans and our careers. I don’t give a fuck who gets mad. It’s the truth.”
One quarter of the Slaughterhouse gang wasn’t feeling E1’s (formerly Koch Records) attempts to block his pending deal with the supergroup on a major. This lead the “yaowa” spitter to react in protest, refusing to give up his Free Agent album. The LP was officially distributed through E1, though it suffered a leak three months earlier. Coincidence? Doubt it.
Interscope Brings Out The Real 50 Cent
Date: June 16, 2011
Tweet fired: “Ok I tried to be cool with my record company. I went to the meeting talk to everyone and sh*t feels like there moving in slow motion [sic].”
Remember the Black Magic LP Curtis planned on dropping years ago? You know, the dance album that was shelved? Well, 50’s struggle to get it on the market supposedly stemmed from the label’s constant attempts to postpone it. Patiently waiting wasn’t an option, hence his social media tirade.
Drake Gets Sensitive Over Universal's Cease and Desist
Date: June 23, 2011
Tweet fired: “Universal needs to stop taking my fucking songs down. I am doing this for the people not for your label.”
Drizzy wanted nothing more than to bless fans with some new music at the time. So he dropped “Marvin’s Room” months ahead of the Take Care release. Universal shut it down by issuing a cease and desist on song leaks. As with everything, Champagne Papi caught feelings and took to Twitter to air out his emotions.
50 Strikes Again
Date: July 27, 2011
Tweet fired: “Man I’m not releasing a album i can’t believe interscope is this f—ed up right now. I apologize to all my fans.”
A month later, same issues, same outcome. The frustrations continued to linger, as 50 blamed the record company for leaking his “I’m On It” single and continued his rant by stating: “They dropped the ball with me one time to many.” Three years later, he cut all ties and went the independent route. Animal Ambition drops June 3 tho.
Pill Expresses Side Effects of Joining MMG
Date: Dec. 28. 2011
Tweet fired: “Artist sign deals, label doesnt do shit for them or don’t even know to work the artist. time wasted.”
Poor Pill. After dude generated mad buzz in ’09, his stock value dropped immensely the moment he signed onto Warner Bros. and was thrown into Maybach Music Group. “No TV and No Radio…” as he expressed, the ATL rapper embraced another platform to vent over the mismanagement of his career. This lead to a mutual split between all parties.
Kid Cudi and Universal Undersell Each Other
Date: Feb. 28, 2012
Tweet fired: “Ok so just a heads up, my weak ass label only shipped 55k physicals cuz they treated this like some indie side project tax right off.”
Rarely does a label undership physical copies of an artist’s LP…unless they have no faith in the project. Seems like that could have been the case with Kid Cuid’s rock album WZRD. Tight over Universal Republic’s decision to only ship 55,000 copies, the G.O.O.D. Music alum gave his higher ups the business, while claiming he was holding Man on the Moon 3 till 2014.
Professor Green Preaches Industry Politics
Date: Aug. 7, 2012
Tweet fired: "How would you feel if a company taking 25% of your earnings weren't doing their jobs properly? Would you pay someone not doing their job?"
A victim of industry rule #4080, the British rapper lambasted his label for stealing a large percentage of his live performance fees. PG put it as bluntly as he could tweeting, "A lot of artists feel the same but we all just bend over... F**k that." Another case of Reasonable Doubt track 2!
Kid Cudi Gets No Radio Play
Date: Jan. 8, 2013
Tweet fired: “To my label, I swear to all that is fuckin holy in this world, if things dont change soon, theres gonna be some problems”
Ever recall hearing a Kid Cudi track in rotation on the radio? Aside from “Day ‘n’ Nite,” chances are nothing comes to mind. Scott Mescudi would agree with you, throwing Universal under the bus for not pushing his material. He also expressed his displeasure over the fact that his YouTube-famous records weren’t getting any spins, while Trinidad James joints shared similar views and blew up the airwaves. Game just ain't fair, homie.
Jadakiss Goes "Big Boy" on Def Jam
Date: July 1, 2013
Tweet fired: “Invest in yourself FUCK A LABEL! @defjam!!! Big boy dialogue”
It's no secret, Jadakiss has dealt with his fair of shady business deals. Look up The LOX's previous contract situation under Bad Boy and see what we’re talking about. So in sharing his anger with current label Def Jam, Jada also kicked some knowledge to the next breed of up-and-coming rappers looking to break into the industry.
Young Jeezy Tells Def Jam Execs to Boss Up
Date: Nov. 13, 2013
Tweet fired: "N*ggas @DefJamRecords keep playing games if you want!"
The Snowman got tired of what Def Jam was selling him, taking shots at the bosses and threatening to leak his album in advance. It didn’t take long for Jeezy to jump ship and get put on to Roc Nation, where we’re still anticipating new music.
Angel Haze Bogarts Her Album Release Demands
Date: Dec. 19, 2013
Tweet fired: ”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.”
Hell hath no fury like a female rapper’s scorn. Republic Records learned the hard way, as Brooklyn's own Angel Haze did what every other artist swore to execute, but all balked on—leak her album online for the fans. The decision came after the label pushed back her Dirty Gold album to 2014. Following the tweets, the company submitted to Haze’s wishes and dropped the record at the end of the year.
Azealia Banks Trolls Universal
Date: Jan. 26, 2014
Tweet fired: “Can someone at Sony buy me off of Universal please?? i'm really in hell here.”
The Queen of Twitter beef took the infrared off her industry counterparts and set it on her label, criticizing Universal for its lack of support and wishing to be dropped. Claiming to have “been gratefully riding off of mixtape fumes for the past two years,” Banks stayed to true form and continued the bashing session.
