Chicago rapper Lil Durk and hitmaker London On Da Track aren’t taking days off. The hip-hop pair have teased the world about having potential new tunes on deck. Lil Durk + London On Da Track’s Studio Goals London went to his Instagram page to get fans hyped about what’s coming together. He shared a slideshow […]
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Songwriters are an invaluable part of the music industry, but some of them feel like they aren’t getting a fair deal. Now, a group of songwriters have formed The Pact and are calling on artists to drop demanding credit on and publishing rights of songs that they didn’t help write.
The group has shared a letter, which asserts:
“Over the last few years, there has been a growing number of artists that are demanding publishing on songs they did not write. These artists will go on to collect revenue from touring, merchandise, brand partnerships, and many other revenue streams, while the songwriters have only their publishing revenue as a means of income. This demand for publishing is often able to happen because the artist and/or their representation abuse leverage, use bully tactics and threats, and prey upon writers who may choose to give up some of their assets rather than lose the opportunity completely. Over time, this practice of artists taking publishing has become normalized; and until now, there has been no real unity within the songwriting community to fight back.”
It goes on to declare, “This body of songwriters will not give publishing or songwriting credit to anyone who did not create or change the lyric or melody or otherwise contribute to the composition without a reasonably equivalent/meaningful exchange for all the writers on the song.”
The Pact’s website has a list of artists involved and it includes Tayla Parx, Justin Tranter, Tobias Jesso Jr., Emily Warren, Toss Golan, Amy Allen, Lennon Stella, Shae Jacobs, Sam Harris, Deza, and Joel Little. The aforementioned artists have had a huge impact on the music industry in recent years, as they have collaborated with big names like Ariana Grande, Khalid, Normani, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, Chloe x Halle, Janelle Monáe, Anderson .Paak, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Kygo, Kacey Musgraves, John Legend, Maroon 5, Halsey, Cardi B, Imagine Dragons, Jonas Brothers, Sia, Adele, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Florence And The Machine, Haim, Niall Horan, King Princess, and Ellie Goulding. All those credits, by the way, are for just Parx, Tranter, and Jesso.
Read the full letter below and learn more about The Pact here.
“The beauty of the music industry is that it operates at its best as an ecosystem. Behind most songs, there is a story of collaboration. By the time of release, a song has been touched not just by the artist, but by songwriters, producers, mixers, engineers, record labels, publishers, managers and more.
Over the last few years, there has been a growing number of artists that are demanding publishing on songs they did not write. These artists will go on to collect revenue from touring, merchandise, brand partnerships, and many other revenue streams, while the songwriters have only their publishing revenue as a means of income. This demand for publishing is often able to happen because the artist and/or their representation abuse leverage, use bully tactics and threats, and prey upon writers who may choose to give up some of their assets rather than lose the opportunity completely. Over time, this practice of artists taking publishing has become normalized; and until now, there has been no real unity within the songwriting community to fight back.
That is why we have decided to join together, in support of each other, and make a change. What we are saying is this:
This body of songwriters will not give publishing or songwriting credit to anyone who did not create or change the lyric or melody or otherwise contribute to the composition without a reasonably equivalent/meaningful exchange for all the writers on the song.
To be clear – this action is being taken for two main purposes. First and foremost, we hope that this action will protect the future ‘us’, the next generation of songwriters — those who believe they have no leverage and no choice but to give up something that is rightly theirs. The second purpose is to shift the rhetoric and perspective surrounding the role of a songwriter. As songwriters, we are fully aware of the importance of the artist who goes on to perform and promote the songs we write, the role of the producer who takes the song to the finish line, and the role of the label that finances the project and plans for strategy and promotion. In light of that, we are not suggesting we dip into those revenue streams, we are not asking for something we don’t deserve. We are simply asking for that respect in return. We are simply asking that the ecosystem stay in balance; we are simply asking that we not be put in positions where we are forced to give up all we have in exchange for nothing; we are simply asking that we give credit where credit is due and only take credit where credit is earned.
If we take the song out of the music industry, there is no music industry. As of today, we will no longer accept being treated like we are at the bottom of the totem pole, or be bullied into thinking that we should be making sacrifices to sit at the table. We are all in this together, and we all need each other for this wheel to keep turning. So let’s start acting like it.
Sincerely,
The Pact”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Lil Durk might have released his successful new album The Voice a few months ago, as well as his label’s compilation project Loyal Bros a mere number of weeks ago, but the Chicago drill rapper is already gearing up to release another full-length project. Proving that this truly is his takeover year, Durkio has been teasing the release of his upcoming collaborative album with another one of modern rap’s greats: Lil Baby.
Their upcoming project, tentatively titled The Voice x The Hero, has been in the works for the last few weeks and, according to Baby’s latest update on social media, it’s going to be hitting streaming services very soon.
“Coming So Soon……” wrote the Atlanta rapper on Instagram Stories. Last night, Lil Baby and Lil Durk were together at the Brooklyn Nets game, watching the KD-led squad win against the Houston Rockets. Considering the fact that they were together for most of the night, it’s possible that they also clocked in some studio time before or after the game to work on their music together.
With so many anticipated projects coming up in the coming weeks, including the rumored release of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, it’s unclear when Lil Baby and Lil Durk are planning to release their body of work together. Do you think they’ll go #1 when it drops?
Hip-Hop has a strange history with bootlegs. Back in 1999, Jay-Z almost ruined his entire career by stabbing Lance “Un” Rivera for bootlegging his records. Nowadays, it doesn’t seem to be as big as an issue for rappers as it once once, but if you’re ever stopping by a gas station, you’re definitely liable to see some unofficial mixtapes and bootleg albums for sale from some of your favorite artists. Yesterday, 2 Chainz witnessed it for himself, as a bootleg version of his latest studio album So Help Me God! was being sold at the front of a gas station for $3.99.
The video shows the veteran Atlanta artist approaching the counter and seeing an assortment of CDs, and after flipping through a couple, an unauthorized copy of So Help Me God! pops up, prompting Tity Boi to start snickering. While the cover looks legit, the tracklist on the inside was actually grabbed from one of 2 Chainz’ Instagram posts leading up to the album’s release, so it doesn’t even have all of the features listed.
In an unexpected turn of events, 2 Chainz asks how much the CDs cost, and once he confirms that they are $3.99, he comically offers to buy two copies. The video cuts off before we can see if the Rap Or Go To The League artist bought bootleg copies of his own album, but it’s funny to see 2 Chainz treating the situation so casually.
We’ve officially kicked off the first day of the fourth month, and it feels like a good time to reflect on the music of 2021’s first quarter. In truth, it hasn’t exactly been the biggest year so far, with little in the way of high-profile releases — yet. Still, that hasn’t stopped the numbers from pouring in, and DJ Akademiks recently took a moment to share a tally of the top ten most-streamed rap artists of the past three months.
Drake is leading the pack by a decent margin with a staggering 1.98 billion, unsurprising given that he actually released a new EP in Scary Hours 2. Following him is Juice WRLD, a streaming juggernaut even in death, with his existing projects driving his tally to 1.52. billion. Superstar Lil Baby sits in third with 1.50 billion, while the late Pop Smoke holds the fourth spot with 1.25 billion.
Lil Durk, who recently experienced the biggest year of his career in 2020, rode the wave into 2021 with 1.06 billion. In sixth place is DaBaby with 816 million, while Kanye West holds the line in seventh with 748 million. Moneybagg Yo, who sits on the verge of his new album (which may or may not be titled A Gangsta’s Pain), enjoys eighth place with 644 million, while rapper turned rockstar Machine Gun Kelly slides into ninth with 608 million (he reacted to the good news with a devil emoji). Rounding out the list is NF, who locks down tenth place with 586 million.
It’s fair to say that this list paints a reasonably accurate picture of the rap landscape at the moment, though it’s certainly subject to change given how many heavy hitters have yet to drop. Expect this to change if and when the likes of J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar emerge with their respective projects. In the meantime, check out the full list below.
It’s Coi Leray’s time to shine right now. With the present success of her breakout single “No More Parties”, the 23-year-old New Jersey representative has been operating at her highest level. She’s been generating a lot of buzz as she gears up to release her upcoming debut studio album. Coi recently dropped her long-awaited new single “BIG PURR (Prrdd)” with Pooh Shiesty and has been enlisting the help of world-class twerker Megan Thee Stallion to work on her own skills.
@coileray
Given Coi’s smaller frame, you would possibly expect a refreshing outlook on the rising rapper from the men that have body-shamed the likes of Megan Thee Stallion (for being tall and curvy), Lizzo (for having fat), and Summer Walker (for having plastic surgery). However, much like how people have acted towards Rico Nasty, Coi Leray is also being body-shamed, despite having a natural body type. This calls into question whether anyone will ever be happy with how female entertainers present themselves. It appears as though even when a woman is as natural as possible, like Coi Leray who has unapologetically stated that she will never change her body despite the criticism, people will still try and bash her.
Coi’s latest video uploads have been met with a lot of criticism as she flaunts her skinny body type, twerking to her new music, and just having a lot of fun. Her comments have been a mess as incels try and tell Coi that she needs a bigger ass and breast enhancement to truly reach that next level in her music career. The response to this has been overwhelming on social media as her name has been trending for the last day on Twitter with fans defending her and her look, calling out how men will never be satisfied with a woman’s body.
Check out what Coi has had to say about this all above and peep some of the most popular fan comments below.
According to the latest reports, Saweetie and Quavo could both end up getting in trouble over the leaked video showing their physical altercation in an elevator, which surfaced earlier this week.
Last week, Quavo and Saweetie announced their high-profile split on social media after Saweetie accused Quavo of cheating on her. As the news was dying down, a video was released showing the two former lovebirds getting into a physical altercation in an apartment complex in North Hollywood. Saweetie seemingly attempts to throw punches at Quavo, which the rapper dodges. Then, he pulls her into an elevator as they struggle with an orange video game console briefcase, knocking her to the ground. Saweetie stays on the ground for over a minute before limping on the way out.
As per the newest report from TMZ, Saweetie and Quavo are both being investigated over their involvement in the altercation. LAPD detectives have seen the video and they want to meet with both of the rappers pictured to get a better understanding of what caused the fight. The situation could reportedly be considered an instance of domestic violence with both parties being in the wrong. Before anyone is charged, the police want to learn more about what led to the tussle in the elevator.
Quavo and Saweetie have both been silent since the video was released, staying off of social media with any commentary on the situation. Many artists, including Boosie Badazz, Trouble, and Bandhunta Izzy, have spoken out in support of Quavo.
We’ll keep you updated as this story develops.
R&B singer Summer Walker has a serious issue with stalker prying into her personal life and she might quit music because of it. The West Coast singer shared a message stating she wished she could just put out music without people invading her personal life. Summer Walker Hates Her Job Summer advertised that she could […]
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The social media cops can’t hold Freddie Gibbs down. The Midwest rapper’s infamously raunchy Instagram account was temporarily shut down a few months ago, but the Grammy nominee recently revealed he’d been maintaining a secret IG account all along. Freddie Gibbs Reveals He Has A Secret Instagram Account Back in December 2020, Freddie Gibbs was […]
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Philadelphia rap star Lil Uzi Vert is deep in love with the City Girls’ JT and wants the world to know. The Grammy-nominated rapper went into his R&B bag on social media, serenading his lady with Musiq Soulchild‘s vintage hit “Dontchange.” Lil Uzi Vert Shows Love For JT Lil Uzi Vert went to his Instagram […]
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